Kathy M. Gannon (born 1954) is a Canadian journalist and news director of the

Associated Press The Associated Press (AP) is an American not-for-profit organization, not-for-profit news agency headquartered in New York City. Founded in 1846, it operates as a cooperative, unincorporated association, and produces news reports that are dist ...

for Afghanistan and Pakistan. In 2014, Gannon was attacked and wounded while reporting from Afghanistan. Her German colleague, Anja Niedringhaus, was mortally wounded. Gannon received extensive coverage as she struggled to recover from her wounds and return to war reporting.

Biography

Gannon was born in

Timmins Timmins ( ) is a city in northeastern Ontario, Canada, located on the Mattagami River. The city is the fourth-largest city in the Northeastern Ontario region with a population of 41,145 at the 2021 Canadian census and an estimated population of ...

, Ontario, the youngest of six children. Gannon was a freelance journalist in Israel before 1988, when she began reporting on Afghanistan and Pakistan. Her early reporting focused on the

mujahedeen ''Mujahideen'', or ''Mujahidin'' (), is the plural form of ''mujahid'' (), an Arabic term that broadly refers to people who engage in ''jihad'' (), interpreted in a jurisprudence of Islam as the fight on behalf of God, religion or the commun ...

during the Soviet-Afghan war. She remained in the country until September 2001, when, following the 9/11 attacks, the Taliban forced all foreigners to leave the country. She returned by October 23, 2001, where she was "the only Western journalist to see the last weeks of Taliban rule". By 2014, Gannon had spent 18 years reporting from Afghanistan and was the Associated Press's regional chief. In 2005, she published the non-fiction book '' I is for Infidel: From Holy War to Holy Terror in Afghanistan''.

2014 attack

On 14 April 2014, Gannon and AP photographer Anja Niedringhaus were in a convoy of journalists near

Khost Khōst () is the capital of Khost Province in Afghanistan. It is the largest city in the southeastern part of the country, and also the largest in the region of Loya Paktia. To the south and east of Khost lie Waziristan and Kurram Agency, Kurram i ...

, reporting on the national elections, protected by elements of the

Afghan National Army The Islamic National Army (, ), also referred to as the Islamic Emirate Army and the Afghan Army, is the army, land force branch of the Afghan Armed Forces. The roots of an army in Afghanistan can be traced back to the early 18th century when th ...

and

Police The police are Law enforcement organization, a constituted body of Law enforcement officer, people empowered by a State (polity), state with the aim of Law enforcement, enforcing the law and protecting the Public order policing, public order ...

. When the vehicles were stopped, one of the commanders, named Naqibullah, of the police contingent took his rifle, yelled "

Allahu Akbar Allah ( ; , ) is an Arabic term for God, specifically the God of Abraham. Outside of the Middle East, it is principally associated with Islam (in which it is also considered the proper name), although the term was used in pre-Islamic Arabia ...

!", and fired into their vehicle at close range. He then sat down and surrendered to his colleagues. Gannon was rushed to a hospital in Khost, where she underwent an emergency operation which saved her life. The attacker offered mixed explanations for his motive. He was found guilty by a court in July 2014 and set to be executed. Following the attack, Gannon underwent 18 surgeries (14 in 2014 alone) to repair the damage caused by the seven bullets which hit her, which especially damaged her left arm and hand.

Later career

Gannon returned to journalism two years after the attack, working for eight more years before retiring in 2022. In 2020, she was named news director for Afghanistan and Pakistan. In 2023 the 'CFWIJ Kathy Gannon Legacy Award' was established by the Coalition For Women in Journalism.

Personal life

Gannon is married to Pakistani architect Naeem Pasha.

Awards and honours

* 2002 Courage in Journalism Award,

International Women's Media Foundation The International Women's Media Foundation (IWMF), located in Washington, D.C., is an organization working internationally to elevate the status of women in the media. The IWMF has created programs to help women in the media develop practical so ...

* Edward R. Murrow Press Fellowship (2003),

Council on Foreign Relations The Council on Foreign Relations (CFR) is an American think tank focused on Foreign policy of the United States, U.S. foreign policy and international relations. Founded in 1921, it is an independent and nonpartisan 501(c)(3) nonprofit organi ...

* 2014 Tara Singh Hayer memorial award,

Canadian Journalists for Free Expression Canadian Journalists for Free Expression (CJFE) is a Canadian non-governmental organization supported by Canadian journalists and advocates of freedom of expression. The purpose of the organization is to defend the rights of journalists and con ...

* 2015 McGill Medal for Journalistic Courage, the

Henry W. Grady College of Journalism and Mass Communication The Grady College of Journalism and Mass Communication is a constituent college of the University of Georgia in Athens, Georgia, United States. Established in 1915, Grady College offers undergraduate degrees in journalism, advertising, public re ...

* 2015 Tully Free Speech Award,

Syracuse University Syracuse University (informally 'Cuse or SU) is a Private university, private research university in Syracuse, New York, United States. It was established in 1870 with roots in the Methodist Episcopal Church but has been nonsectarian since 1920 ...

* 2021 Award for Reporting,

American Academy of Diplomacy The American Academy of Diplomacy is a private, nonprofit, non-partisan, elected organization whose active membership is limited to men and women who have held positions of high responsibility in crafting and implementing American foreign policy. ...

* 2022 Columbia Journalism Award,

Columbia University Columbia University in the City of New York, commonly referred to as Columbia University, is a Private university, private Ivy League research university in New York City. Established in 1754 as King's College on the grounds of Trinity Churc ...

* 2025 Asper Fellowship in Media, Western University

References

{{DEFAULTSORT:Gannon, Kathy 1954 births Living people 20th-century Canadian journalists 20th-century Canadian women journalists 21st-century Canadian journalists 21st-century Canadian non-fiction writers 21st-century Canadian women journalists 21st-century Canadian women writers Associated Press reporters Journalists from Ontario War correspondents of the War in Afghanistan (2001–2021) Writers from Timmins