News with a Foreign Accent

A migrant journalist's take on current affairs, the threat of Fascism, bilingualism and being a foreigner

By Barbara Serra

There's no such thing as 'International News'
It's English-language news. Unsurprisingly it's dominated by English-speaking media companies and journalists, and that has a huge impact on what we…
May 31, 2023•Barbara Serra

The barriers faced by second-language English journalists
I'm sick of lying to young foreign journalists who ask me for advice. Because the only honest reply is: "Can you pass as a native speaker?"
Feb 14, 2023•Barbara Serra

Giorgia Meloni vs Trump - did a mistranslation make things worse?
Did he feel sorry for her or did he pity her?
Jun 23•Barbara Serra and Desi B

Red card for the referee's foreign accent
FIFA changed the rules, and assumed everyone's English was good enough
Jun 12•Barbara Serra

Why accent bias is sometimes justified
Dec 17, 2025•Barbara Serra

How to survive a Trump news conference
With or without a foreign accent
Nov 23, 2025•Barbara Serra

What I learnt on my Fascism book tour
I spent months talking about fascism, and came away with a sinking feeling about our divided societies, lack of nuance and willingness to see other…
Dec 31, 2025•Barbara Serra

Goodbye Al Jazeera
Apr 3, 2022•Barbara Serra

My grandfather was an Italian Fascist. Here's what my British friends don't understand about Fascism.
Aug 15, 2024•Barbara Serra