Stories from the Margins
Listen to Stories from the Margins, a podcast exploring disinformation, identity and media literacy through personal stories and expert insights.
Latest Episodes
Episode 1
Welcome to Future Chronicles: Countering Gendered Disinformation
What happens when disinformation targets who you are?
In this opening episode of Future Chronicles, young people from across Europe explore how gendered disinformation shapes public life. From manipulated deepfakes to everyday memes, they start unpacking how online attacks silence voices, distort democracy, and harm mental health.
The conversation moves from personal stories to collective action and presents the Future Chronicles Podcast.
Episode 2
When the Internet Follows You Home
Three secondary school teachers from a Swedish village have conducted a study with their students. “What gender-based violence have you experienced online?” In this episode, we hear the stories from girls and young women who have been targeted by hate and indignity online in a Swedish rural community. What happens when online hate targets you in a setting where everyone knows everyone?
This episode was produced by: Lovisa Nilsson, Elina Gradin Grubb and Tilda Hansson for Traces&Dreams, Sweden.
Episode 3
Breaking the Silence: Women’s Safety, Rights, and Real Experiences
This episode of Future Chronicles is a real and honest conversation about what it’s like to grow up and live as a young woman today. Our hosts, Roya and Alexandra, sit down with Grazia and Bianca to talk about things many people experience but don’t always say out loud. From small everyday expectations in family and school, to pressure in work environments, to how relationships can sometimes feel confusing or unequal. We also get into topics that are often avoided but super important to talk about, like feeling unsafe, being judged, or not being taken seriously. And why staying silent is something a lot of people are taught, even when it hurts them. This episode is not about fear. It’s about understanding, awareness, and knowing that your voice matters. We also share helpful resources and support systems, especially in Romania, because knowing where to turn can make a real difference. If you’ve ever felt unheard, judged, or like you had to shrink yourself, this conversation is for you. Tune in for a safe, open space where we talk honestly, support each other, and remind ourselves that we deserve better.
Episode 4
Linguicism and power
In this episode, we explored the influence language has on our lives and, more specifically, how the language we speak, and the way we speak it, can become a source of discrimination. Amalia Ranieri (from Sinergie), the project coordinator, was joined in conversation by Rosalba Nodari, author of the book Linguicismo e potere (Linguicism and Power), and Sofia Mandatori, a student in Gender Studies. Drawing on her book, Rosalba helped us understand what “linguicism” is, a term coined in the 1980s by linguist Tove Skutnabb-Kangas, who defined it as “ideologies and structures which are used to legitimate, effectuate, and reproduce an unequal division of power and resources between groups defined on the basis of language”. Among the topics discussed in this episode were linguistic sexism, semantic polarization, the misleading media framing of femicides, and the role played by social media algorithms and by the lack of media literacy in fostering radicalization and disinformation. Yet the issues surrounding language do not end there. We hope to create further spaces for dialogue in which to return, again and again, to these vital questions.
Episode 5
Talking About Gendered Islamophobia
The podcast “Talking About Gendered Islamophobia” explores gendered Islamophobia in Spain, showing how it disproportionately affects Muslim women or those perceived as such. Through personal testimonies and expert insights, it highlights how discrimination based on religion and gender shapes everyday life.
The episode opens with an incident at a public swimming pool in Valencia, where women wearing burkinis faced verbal abuse and exclusion, illustrating how even ordinary activities can become stressful. Diyae shares similar experiences of stereotyping and exclusion at school and in public spaces, emphasizing the negative impact on mental health and sense of belonging.
Nadia, an expert from Casa Marruecos, explains that the visibility of Muslim women, especially those wearing the hijab, makes them more vulnerable to discrimination. She also points out the role of class and ethnicity: working-class women often face harsher stigma, while wealthier women may be exoticized.
Overall, the podcast shows that gendered Islamophobia is widespread and intersectional, while also highlighting strategies of resilience, such as support networks and empowerment initiatives, to promote inclusion and rights.
Episode 6
Her voice is not the problem: Gendered disinformation - silent online censorship
In this episode of the Future Chronicles podcast, we explore how gendered disinformation operates in everyday online spaces and how young women resist it.
The episode opens with the story of Nina (a fictional name protecting a real experience), a young content creator who began posting online simply to share joy. What started as harmless comments about a photo quickly escalated into attacks on her appearance, intelligence, and worth. Like many girls online, Nina learned that visibility comes with a double standard: behaviors celebrated in boys are mocked or punished in girls. Singing, speaking confidently, laughing loudly all became reasons for judgment.
Through Nina’s story and the voices of young participants, activists, and media expert Filip Spiroski, the episode unpacks how gendered disinformation works. It shows how criticism shifts from content to personal attacks, how “jokes” and fake concern normalize harm, and how repetition makes false narratives feel true. These patterns are not accidental; they silence girls, discourage participation, and reinforce outdated gender stereotypes.
The discussion expands beyond individual stories to highlight how gendered disinformation affects marginalized groups, including Roma women and girls who face layered discrimination based on gender, ethnicity, and appearance. The episode also examines the emotional toll of online harassment, why comments from strangers hurt so deeply, and how normalization of abuse is often mistaken for resilience.
Crucially, the episode focuses on what helps. Listeners hear practical guidance on protecting mental well-being without withdrawing from online spaces, setting boundaries, documenting abuse, seeking support, and using reporting mechanisms. The conversation also addresses recent legal developments in North Macedonia that recognize online sexual abuse as real harm, not “just the internet.”
Ultimately, this episode is about reclaiming voice. It reminds us that the problem was never girls speaking up — it was a system designed to punish them for being seen. By recognizing gendered disinformation, supporting one another, and telling our stories, we turn individual pain into collective power.
List of participants:
Speaker 1 – Antonija Kalkova, young female activist
Speaker 2 – Nadirenka Chindarova, young female activist
Speaker 3 – Tino Nakov, young male activist
Speaker 4 – Nina (a fictional name), young female content creator
Speaker 5 – Filip Spirovski, youth, media and online safety expert
Episode 7
Beyond the “Babysitting” Dad: Navigating Gender, Power, and Progress in Slovakia
In this episode of Future Chronicles, host Monika sits down with Ingrid Borarosová from the Bratislava Policy Institute to deconstruct the current status of gender equality in Slovakia. While the “paper-wise” reality suggests equality, the cultural and political landscape tells a different story.
Ingrid shares her transition from studying minority rights to focusing on gender policy, highlighting the stark underrepresentation of women in Slovak leadership and the reciprocal lack of men in caregiving roles. From the double standards of “assertive” vs. “hysterical” politicians to the mental burden of modern motherhood, this conversation explores why Slovakia feels like it is progressing in daily life while regressing in the public eye.