About Me

My name is Atharva Tewari and I’m a freshman studying Journalism and Comparative Literature at the University of Southern California in Los Angeles. Having a forte for creative writing and intensive reading from an early age, I stumbled upon journalism as a result of my newfound obsession with politics and social justice. Growing up in a second-tier city in India and unable to find inclusive platforms for my work, I ultimately decided to start my own: Inwords. As the Editor-in-Chief, I spearheaded an operation of 100 member staff including writers, editors, caricaturists and technology associates. In the following years, I did content consulations for local NGOs, Model UN conferences, and political campaigns. In an effort to provide safe space to countless teen writers and artists who felt voiceless in a STEM high school, I laid the foundation of a daily newspaper alongwith a functional literary society. Furthermore, through my work as a regional ambassador for India’s first homegrown LGBTQ+ dating app, I worked to garner corporate support for legislation that would be inclusive of LGBTQ+ employees and couples.

As all the Democratic presidential candidates wrapped their discussion about their visions for America, members of our politics team sat down with their editor to dig deep into what went down on the 1st night of the 2nd Democratic Presidential Debate.https://t.co/WpeJINSThP
— Affinity Magazine (@TheAffinityMag) July 31, 2019

Currently, I am a Senior Politics and Television editor at Affinity Magazine and have been deeply involved in a plethora of administrative and structural functions in addition to my editorial duties. When I can find the time between college coursework and my innumerable duties as the Administrative and Public Relations Chair of my residential college, I either binge watch multiple episodes of The View or moderate panels with my politics team about the much-talked about Democratic Presidential Debates.

In the recent wave of right-wing populism and the increasing assaults on the freedom of the press by state and non-state actors, there is a pressing need for independent journalists that can prove to be a true fourth pillar for flailing democracies across the world. My areas of focus lie mainly in hyperlocal journalism due to the unwavering and integral role of local journalists in the functioning of a healthy democracy.