Fariba Nawa and Gulsum Kav

Storytelling​​​​ will never die—neither does speaking truth to power. That’s what I do.

Fariba Nawa is an investigative journalist and co-founder of On Spec Podcast.

The wild plots of Iranian dissident hunters

When Iranian soldiers defect, they often try to hide nearby in Turkey. But the regime attempts to track them down using a vast surveillance dragnet and local muscle. This is a story about how kidnapping and repatriation can go very wrong.

An Exile Finds Home: Fariba Nawa at TEDxMonterey

My father Fazul Haq Nawa, who passed in 2015, was the inspiration for this TED talk. His embrace of pluralism, tolerance and women’s rights gave me my wings to flourish. I paused my foreign reporting career and returned to California to care for my dad when he developed dementia at the same time that I had my daughters. This talk was my way of letting go of my father and my homeland Afghanistan.

Latest season: Lethal Dissent

 Lethal Dissent

On Spec’s 18-month investigation takes you inside the secret war waged on Iranian dissidents in exile. We follow poets, soldiers, politicians and ordinary folk who have escaped the Islamic Republic but still live in fear of being hunted down and forced back to Iran to be imprisoned or executed.

An American murder in Istanbul: Justice for Halla

Trans national migration

Through Children’s Eyes

Original audio documentaries from around the globe.

On Spec Podcast brings you independently produced, unvarnished, and transparent field reporting that goes beyond clickbait.

Each season has a distinct theme: we take you from Mexico to Malawi, Iran to China, Armenia to the United States, offering unexpected deep dives into the everyday lives of people behind international news headlines. These stories —so personal to the reporters on the ground— will give you a nuanced and intimate perspective beyond your own borders.

Coaching Services

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I’ve trained emerging reporters and writers from Kabul to Cairo, sitting side by side to help them find their inner novelist or journalist. The art of writing is a craft improved with practice and the guidance of an effective teacher. I owe my skills to my editors and English literature teachers. I’ve taught at universities and most recently a secret online school for Afghan girls, who are banned from learning beyond the sixth grade under the Taliban.

The A to Z of narrative podcasting. I share my journey from print journalism to audio documentaries and help you build your voice, brand and audience. The team at On Spec is multilingual and I can offer the training in Farsi/Dari and English – or lead you to others who can teach in other languages.

 If you’re in audio, your voice is your most important asset. But how do you get the right pitch, tone, delivery? With a voice coach! I’ve been training local journalists around the globe who’ve worked with On Spec Podcast for years. You don’t need a professional studio – you need a good mic and blankets to get started.

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