In her spare time during the pandemic, the Evening Standard journalist has been working on a solutions-focused investigation into women being coerced into gangs. She talks about how to cover a tricky topic without an editorial team
Subscribe to the Journalism.co.uk podcast on Apple Podcasts, Soundcloud and Spotify
When exploring a sensitive topic, all sorts of considerations can come up, like intruding into personal grief or interviewing vulnerable sources. Normally, an editor or an editorial team is on hand to offer guidance and a second opinion to make sure reporting is fair and ethical.
But that is not an option if you are working alone so it helps to team up with another journalist you can trust.
This was the reality for Abbianca Makoni, a multimedia journalist for The Evening Standard. Throughout the last year, she has been working on a documentary in her spare time with video producer Samson Falodun.
The film, GXNG GIRLS, focuses on the coercion of girls and women into gangs in the UK, and will be released next week (1 February 2020).
In this week's episode of the Journalism.co.uk, Makoni reflects on the documentary, the ethical challenges the duo faced, how they overcame them together, and the advantages of producing documentaries in small numbers.
Since recording this interview, The Evening Standard has discussed working with Makoni to produce more investigative pieces looking at issues affecting communities.
If you like our news and feature articles, you can sign up to receive our free daily (Mon-Fri) email newsletter (mobile friendly).
Sign up to receive job alerts of your choice by email, or manage your subscription
Featured recruiter: click to view its vacancies
The UK’s fastest-growing travel trade media brand seeks a full-time, NCTJ-trained journalist to join its busy news team
Subscribe to our newsletter for latest news, tips, jobs and more
End that deadline stress today and find help in our freelance directory
Personal trainer James Hilton has launched a podcast 'Jim's Gym - Inspiring Movement'. James, a specialist in biomechanics and injury recovery from the Cotswolds, runs Jim's Gym, a virtual online space supporting people over 55 to be more active
Our 35th Newsrewired conference will be held 13 May 2025, News UK, London.
Our community of experts gives a heads-up on the most important shifts your newsroom needs to prepare for this year
Conferences and study weeks are fantastic opportunities to get the latest updates on the industry and network with your peers
If you find your social feeds a tad too heavy on men's voices, follow and connect with these fantastic women experts on indie media
How do you move print readers to digital? Are there other ways to hold on to subscribers besides a last-ditch deal?
