Nina Jackel is a journalist and activist known for effecting change for animals worldwide through her non-profit media organization, Lady Freethinker (LFT). As the founder of LFT, Nina works to create a kinder world for animals by exposing cruelty through lifesaving investigations and petitions and by working with on-the-ground rescuers to provide aid for animals in need.
Russ Alan Prince: Please describe Lady Freethinker.
Nina Jackel: Lady Freethinker is a voice of compassion working to end cruelty to all sentient beings. We believe that by changing the norms and policies that allow cruelty, we can end human-caused suffering of all species for good from the cats and dogs we share our homes with to the animals suffering for entertainment, testing and factory farming.
Prince: Why is it beneficial to society as a whole to protect the rights of animals?
Jackel: When humans begin to understand that animals have their own thoughts and feelings, we can empathize with them and want them to be protected. This, in turn, can help people empathize better with our fellow humans too, to help create a more compassionate world for ALL beings. Additionally, many perpetrators of violence against animals go on to harm humans, too. By treating animal cruelty with the severity it deserves, we in turn protect fellow humans from harm.
Prince: Can you describe some of your victories?
Jackel: Some of LFT’s biggest victories include shuttering South Korea’s largest dog meat auction, helping achieve Chile’s strongest-ever sentence for animal cruelty, and providing grants for food, medicine and shelter for animals rescued from dire situations. Since LFT’s founding, we’ve garnered over 20 million signatures on our petitions, helping expose cruelty and bring animals justice. Notably, our current lawsuit against YouTube for failing to remove videos of animal torture was featured in the New York Times.
Prince: What do you see as the future for Lady Freethinker?
Jackel: Lady Freethinker will continue working to create a more just world for animals through our groundbreaking investigations, lifesaving petitions and campaigns, and our on-the-ground partnerships with animal rescuers. We’ll do whatever it takes to help animals of all species by continuing our work to end animal cruelty on social media, working to stop the brutal dog meat trade, and exposing cruelty to all animals used for experiments through our investigative reports.
Russ Alan Prince is the executive director of Private Wealth magazine and chief content officer for High-Net-Worth Genius. He consults with family offices, the wealthy, fast-tracking entrepreneurs and select professionals.
