Daily Inspiration: Meet Dina Elshinnawi

Today we’d like to introduce you to Dina Elshinnawi.

Dina, we appreciate you taking the time to share your story with us today. Where does your story begin?
Growing up, I’d beg my father to tuck me in and read me bedtime stories. He was a TV and radio journalist with a vivid imagination and a taste for the whimsical. I’d sit next to him in the basement as he cut segments to tape for his reports. When I got a little older, he’d let me tag along to the studio for recordings. I always knew I wanted to learn about the world. I’d spend hours reading encyclopedia entries and from time to time, I’d sneak onto my mom’s computer late at night to play “Where in the World is Carmen San Diego?”—on Windows ’95, no less. I fantasized about accumulating stamps in my passport: Timbuktu, Kyoto, Paris, and everywhere in between.

After studying political science in college, I had set my sights on a career in the foreign service. But in the aftermath of 9/11 and in the shadows of the wars in Afghanistan and Iraq, I worried that being tied to a government job would restrict me from telling the kinds of stories I wanted to tell. In London, my master’s program focused on media and morality. As I turned in my final thesis, the global economy collapsed. Watching the trickle-down effect of corruption and greed lit a fire deep inside me.

And well, the rest is history; literally. Since 2010, I’ve worked on some of the most pressing stories of our time in multiple newsrooms across the globe.

We all face challenges, but looking back would you describe it as a relatively smooth road?
WOOF! Not by any means. When you cover trauma, you undoubtedly experience it yourself. Respecting your own limits and learning how to take care of yourself doesn’t come naturally to everyone. As someone who’s lived with chronic illness since I was 10, I burnt out and my body and mind really paid for it. I think it’s still difficult to achieve a work/life balance when you’re expected to always be in the know. And I think a massive lesson no matter what your industry—you can’t possibly know everything.

Thanks – so what else should our readers know about your work and what you’re currently focused on?
I work as a producer and a narrator for VICE News, which means there’s a good chance you already know the sound of my voice if you watch our show! I’m a general assignment reporter, so I cover what I’m asked to or stories that I research and pitch that interest my editors. This past year has unsurprisingly been focused on all things COVID, but I’m lucky to have also worked on projects about issues like police brutality and sexual assault.

What do you like and dislike about the city?
You shouldn’t trust anyone who doesn’t answer this question at least partially with: the weather. Plus, nature rules—being able to be on the beach one day and in the snow the next is something special. I really dig that there are so many people from different walks of life who value their art and self-expression. And the fresh produce is sublime. Sadly, I must interrupt this dreamy, daily broadcast to remind you that traffic and air pollution really dampen the magic of LA. What breaks my heart most of all is the ever-widening gap between rich and poor. There is so much money and so much misery.

Contact Info:

• Email: dina@vice.com
• Website: dina-e.com
• Twitter: https://twitter.com/dinamotion

Image Credits:
The image with colored walls in Jamaica: ANDY CAPPER The dark image of me on-set with lights: AIDAN SHELDON The rest are mine. The one in the audio booth: Credit: Josh Tyrangiel