Covering Women’s News Abroad

Written by Abigail Pesta and Sonya K. Fry

What do supermodel Christy Turlington Burns and Propublica founder Paul Steiger have in common? Both joined the Overseas Press Club and Marie Claire magazine last week for a luncheon to discuss covering women’s news abroad. The OPC had been considering hosting a luncheon with a women’s magazine for some time, to encourage international stories. When Abigail Pesta, editor-at-large of Marie Claire, joined the OPC board of governors, we resurrected the idea. Joanna Coles, editor-in-chief of the U.S. edition of Marie Claire—a magazine with dozens of editions around the globe—agreed to sponsor.

Guest of honor at the event—held in the glossy Hearst Tower in Manhattan, designed by Norman Foster—was Valerie Amos, the United Nations undersecretary general for humanitarian affairs. She spoke passionately about her hectic job of handling earthquakes, floods, tsunamis and political blowups around the world. The event took place in a 44th-floor dining room surrounded by sweeping city views.

The eclectic crowd of journalists and women’s activists included Zainab Salbi, founder of Women for Women International; Kristin Whiting, senior producer for 48 Hours on CBS News; and Ellen Levine, editorial director of Hearst Magazines, along with Steiger and Turlington Burns, a maternal-health advocate and founder of Every Mother Counts. Attending from the OPC were president David Andelman, former president Allan Dodds Frank and executive director Sonya Fry, along with Pesta. Also attending from Marie Claire were Coles and executive editor Anne Fulenwider. Mark Taylor also joined from the UN, and Kat Stoeffel covered the event for the New York Observer.