Zsuzsanna Lippai
Dear Fuller Project Community,
When I joined Fuller as inaugural chief operations and strategy officer in January 2023, drawn to the organization’s emphasis on impact-driven journalism and focus on women, I expected to stay behind the scenes while our co-founder and then-CEO Xanthe Scharff handled external-facing and oversight roles. Cue the universe laughing: named as CEO a year ago, I’ve found myself navigating a role I never expected. A year later, I have the privilege of reflecting on this journey with you.
We have brought on new funders, forged new ties across the sector and made some hard decisions to restructure Fuller’s business side, letting go of colleagues we had held dear. I hired Fuller’s new Editor-in-Chief Eliza Anyangwe, with a vision to take us to our next organizational phase. I have been very lucky to find a group of trusted nonprofit and media leaders who provide both community, advice, and comic relief, always impeccably timed as we deal with challenges that impact all of us in the sector.
When “It Can’t Happen Here” Happens
Nonprofit newsrooms struggle to survive even in “normal” times, and the US feels fundamentally different than it did eight months ago. What’s struck me most is the collective failure of imagination about how rapidly democratic institutions can deteriorate. I’ve watched my US community grapple with the reality that the checks and balances they assumed were permanent can be dismantled swiftly and with startlingly little resistance—even though they believed that “it would never happen [here]”. Those of us personally familiar with authoritarian regimes (or “illiberal democracies”) saw the writing on the wall, while American exceptionalism seemed to create willful blindness to patterns documented elsewhere for years.
My previous work with human rights defenders in closed societies and witnessing civic space constrict in my native Hungary over the past decade have shaped how I approach leadership in this moment. I’ve drawn on these experiences while navigating a volatile landscape where nonprofit funding is being reshaped, threats to journalists and press freedom are mounting, and economic uncertainty creates new pressures. Together with Eliza, we are setting Fuller on a path that navigates the challenge of doing accountability journalism while accountability systems themselves erode—staying alert to mounting threats while keeping our team safe, focused, and resilient.
What Keeps Us Going
Growing up, I was told by male acquaintances that I was too opinionated to ever get married. What strikes me now isn’t just that women are still being told what they can or cannot do, but that gender continues to determine life outcomes in profound ways—from safety to economic opportunity to basic human rights—and progress is reversing.
- Maternal mortality rose last year to 19 deaths per 100,000 births in the US, more than six times higher than comparable wealthy nations such as Japan or Australia, with researchers expecting further increases in states with post-Dobbs abortion restrictions.
- A woman or girl is killed every 10 minutes by a family member or intimate partner.
- The past decade saw a 50% increase in women and girls living in conflict zones, where sexual violence has become a weapon of war with little accountability.
- Meanwhile, 85% of women globally have experienced or witnessed online violence.
- No country provides equal opportunity for women in the workplace—not even the wealthiest economies.
Without journalism that centers women, who connects the dots between AI systems showing gender bias 44% of the time and the broader tech industry’s failure to address discrimination? Who examines why one in four countries report a backlash on women’s rights or examines the policy reversals this might entail? These aren’t just statistics. They are symptoms of power structures that require rigorous reporting to expose root causes and demand accountability. Yet gender-focused newsrooms face disproportionate funding cuts just as there’s exponentially more to investigate and expose.
I believe Fuller’s work is irreplaceable: our evidence-based journalism drives accountability and action, connecting the dots across trends that transcend borders. My promise to you is that we will continue to serve as your trusted source for the stories that matter most – centering women’s voices, catalyzing change, and securing Fuller’s place as an essential voice in the media ecosystem.
Putting that conviction into practice this past year has been nothing short of humbling—and an immense privilege. Our team’s dedication is the engine that keeps us moving forward. Our commitment to rigorous, impact-driven journalism centering women remains our north star, and in times like these, that consistency feels revolutionary.
Thank you for supporting our work. We are here to serve you, and to do our best to adapt to the changing landscape as we deliver our groundbreaking journalism to catalyze positive change for women.
With gratitude,
Zsuzsi
