Meet Saudi Arabia’s first female editor-in-chief of a national newspaper

Somayya Jabarti (Photo via The Guardian)

Congrats to Somayya Jabarti! The Guardian reports:

Somayya Jabarti, a former deputy editor, has become the new boss at the helm of the Jeddah-based English daily Saudi Gazette, the paper’s departing head has announced.

“There’s a crack that has been made in the glass ceiling. And I’m hoping it will be made into a door,” Jabarti said after starting her new job, according to quotes carried by Al Arabiya News.

She added: “Being the first Saudi woman [editor-in-chief] is going to be double the responsibility … One’s actions will reflect upon my fellow Saudi women.”

Jabarti pointed out that while the paper’s senior editorial positions are mainly held by men, the vast majority of the reporters are women. Ah yes, that old all-male management with mostly female staff dynamic. That’s a familiar one. Jabarti vowed, “The success will not be complete unless I see my peers who are also Saudi women in the media, take other roles where they are decision-makers.”

Maya Dusenbery is an Executive Director of Feministing.