Published work
Published reports and news articles authored by Luba Kassova
I Thought My Year of Yes Would Lead to More Paid Work. How Wrong I Was.
In this guest essay for The Persistent Luba zones in on her test-crash-and-learn 2024 which was the year she decided to say ‘yes’ to every engagement she was approached about, worked a lot but didn’t get paid enough. How did an equality expert allow this to happen, you may legitimately ask. This essay tackles precisely this question. It also explores the lessons for the future that Luba learned on her journey to push back against the wide-spread expertise grab.
The Missing Voices of Women in Music and Music News
This is the fourth report in the multi-award-winning Missing Perspectives series. An eye-popping analysis based on AKAS’ nine-months-long groundbreaking investigative work, it exposes the chasm between the overly-positive narrative about women's presence in the Grammys pushed by the Recording Academy in the news media vs. the reality of women’s marginalisation in the Grammys. The report was covered/referenced in 5 of the 10 most read English language news media in the world on both sides of the political divide. Nearly 200 outlets covered it.
9 tips for cultivating balance ahead of a year of relentless reporting and fact-checking
In this essay Luba shares nine suggestions for how to maintain or restore balance in a profoundly uncertain and pressurised world that leaves many feeling like they are aboard a plane hit by violent turbulence. To find out some answers, Luba turned for advice to four psychology, yoga, mindfulness and spiritual experts. They have a combined 75-plus years of experience helping people be more resilient and thrive.
Tackling violence against women starts with social norms change in society Dir.bg
In this op-ed for dir.bg (a leading Bulgarian news outlet) Luba Kassova shares her reflections from a conference organised by The Institute for the Study of Democracy dedicated to tackling disinformation, corruption and gender-based violence in Bulgaria. She shares insights from the groundbreaking research conducted by Peter Todorov from AKAS and herself about Bulgarian media's sensationalist coverage of violence against women, what needs to change and the importance of focusing on shifting social norms for arresting violence against women globally and in Bulgaria.
How the Democrat-leaning news media is unwittingly aiding Trump
In this op-ed for Fortune, Luba Kassova and Richard Addy examine the under-analysed phenomenon of Trump’s dominance on US TV News, particularly on left-leaning 24/7 news channels during the last three election campaigns and how it inadvertently is executing Trump's communication strategy summed up in his infamous statement: "There is no bad press unless you are a paed*phile".
No, young Black men aren’t to blame if Trump wins the election
In this article for the Independent Richard Addy and Luba Kassova challenge the unfair news media attention on young black men ahead of the US elections. It also exposes the inaccurate claims that media makes in relation to young black men’s voting intentions which creates a false social validation to vote in a particular way, which may be swaying the voter behaviour.
The Lethal Price of Misogyny in Security and Defense
In this essay Luba dives into the substantive barriers that women in intelligence and defence sectors globally are forced to navigate which men do not. She interviews experts from the US, Israel and elsewhere and draws attention to two calamitous events - the 9/11 terrorist attack on the Twin Towers in New York and the 7/10 Hamas attack in Israel - that could have been prevented if only the multiple warnings of women intelligence officers and soldiers had been listened to and acted upon.
Gen Z’s enthusiasm for all things touchable is resurrecting the analog economy—and costing parents
In this opinion piece Luba explores how Gen Zers in the UK and the US are unexpectedly driving the revival of the analogue economy. Who would have thought that? It turns out that teenagers and the youngest adults are not only glued to screens. They seek all things touchable. Profound opportunities exist for enterprises that tap into their fundamental needs for self-expression and connection.
Women’s voices and issues are not being heard in UK general election
Are you looking for a General Election coverage angle? How about women? Read Luba Kassova’s analysis of the prominence of women-focused issues and share of voice during the first half of this general election campaign in the UK vs. the previous two going back to 2017. The piece offers relevant topics that reporters can choose to focus on during election campaigns anywhere in the world.
How under-35s’ interest in news has collapsed and what we can do about it
In this article for Press Gazette Luba unpacks why Millennials’ and GenZ’s interest in news has collapsed in the last decade and suggests what news providers can do to arrest this downward trend. To avoid a situation where by 2034 only around 10% of under-35s are truly interested in the news, providers must act now. There are many solutions to arresting the decline and they start with recognising the existence of key news organisational biases that lead to underusing young journalists and editors, as well as underserving young audiences.
