6 Groundbreaking Arab American Journalists You Should Know
Daniel Gil/ Contributing Writer
The world and industry of journalism has undergone massive change which has reshaped the profession in recent years. The advent of the internet and information technologies have revolutionized the way people seek and absorb their information compared to even just a decade ago. However, the role of the journalist, someone tasked with finding and reporting what is true, has remained fixed.
For a long time, Arabs culturally did not typically enter media as a career choice. However, in recent years this has changed and we now see a multitude of Arab American reporters, journalists, and media personalities whose work has touched every facet of American society.
The following Arab journalists have demonstrated commitment to ideals of integrity and the pursuit of truth in their profession. Their work has touched millions and all the while they have been striving to maintain the underlying ideals journalists should possess.
These following decorated Arab journalists are people whose work you should and must know:
Helen Thomas
Perhaps one of the most revered political journalists of the 20th century, Thomas became famous for her hard hitting interviews of Presidents throughout her incredibly distinguished career as a White House reporter. Her work not only served the public as important political discourse, but also as a beacon for women empowerment throughout her life. Thomas was one of the very first women to join the White House press corps in an era where women in news media was a rarity in the United States. Her work carried her throughout some of America’s most important stories of the 20th century from the Kennedy assassination, to the Vietnam, to the Watergate scandal, and many, many more. Thomas sadly passed away in 2012 at the age of 92. The Society for Professional Journalists honors Helen on an annual basis, awarding journalists with the Helen Thomas Award for a lifetime of outstanding work in the industry.
Anthony Shadid
The Lebanese-American, was the recipient of two Pulitzer prizes in his esteemed career which began at the Associated Press, then to the Boston Globe, The Washington Post, and the New York Times. His reporting was extremely well known in the Middle East, where he would focus on the lives of ordinary people and their stories of sacrifice in the midst of a global war on terror. His coverage of the Arab Spring was extremely detailed and clear. The New York Times nominated him and his colleagues for the Pulitzer Prize for international reporting. Tragically, Shadid died of an asthma attack in 2012, while on assignment in Syria at the age of 43.
Lorraine Ali
A television critic for the LA Times, Ali is an award-winning journalist whose work has appeared in Rolling Stone, The New York Times, and GQ. Her reporting has focused significantly on American culture, more specifically, music and entertainment. She has always kept herself in tune, covering issues which affect muslims and Arab Americans. Her resumé is exceptional as her previous titles have included being the music editor for the New York Times and working as a senior writer and music critic for Newsweek.
Leila Fadel
She is a Lebanese-American journalist raised in Saudi Arabia and Lebanon who is currently working for NPR as an international correspondent based in Cairo. She has had an extensive and impressive career as a journalist, covering the Middle East for the Washington Post in previous years. She spent several years reporting on the Arab Spring and its aftermath in Tunisia, Libya, Egypt, and Syria before becoming the bureau chief in Cairo. Prior to this, she worked in Iraq covering the war with a heavy focus on the devastating humanitarian effects of the destructive conflict. Her reporting earned her the George R. Polk award in 2007.
Hala Gorani
Possibly one of the most recognizable television personalities in 2017, Hala Gorani hosts her own show on CNN called The World Right Now with Hala Gorani where viewers are immersed in international breaking news stories. Her reporting has brought people stories from all over the world from the Middle East and the Arab Spring, to the devastating earthquake which rocked Haiti in 2010, which won her the highly esteemed “Golden Nymph award” for international reporting. The prolific journalist has covered every single country in the Middle East, including Iraq, Jordan, Israel, Saudi Arabia, and Palestine. Gorani who is of Syrian heritage was born in Seattle, WA and raised in Paris, France.
Ayman Mohyeldin
An Egyptian-American journalist, Mohyeldin garnered a large amount of fame in the news media for being one of the only western journalists to report on the trial of former Iraqi President Saddam Hussein. He has covered regional conflict and politics throughout his distinguished career which has taken him to Gaza, Iraq, Israel, Palestine, Libya, and more countries. He was also one of the only journalists to ever enter a Libyan nuclear research facility. Mohyeldin has worked for NBC, CNN, and Al Jazeera and is currently based out of Los Angeles for ABC news.
