Razia Iqbal (born 1962) is a journalist employed by

BBC News BBC News is an operational business division of the British Broadcasting Corporation (BBC) responsible for the gathering and broadcasting of news and current affairs in the UK and around the world. The department is the world's largest broad ...

. She is a special correspondent, reporting for outlets across the BBC. From 2011 Iqbal has also presented ''

Newshour ''Newshour'' is BBC World Service's flagship international news and current affairs radio programme, which is broadcast twice daily: weekdays at 1400, weekends at 1300 and nightly at 2100 (UK time). Each edition lasts one hour. It consists of n ...

'' on the

BBC World Service The BBC World Service is an international broadcasting, international broadcaster owned and operated by the BBC, with funding from the Government of the United Kingdom, British Government through the Foreign Secretary, Foreign Secretary's o ...

. She has also presented ''Talking Books'' on the

BBC News Channel BBC News (also known as the BBC News Channel) is a British free-to-air public broadcast television news channel for BBC News. It was launched as BBC News 24 on 9 November 1997 at 5:30 pm as part of the BBC's foray into digital domestic telev ...

. She was previously the corporation's arts correspondent.

Early life

Iqbal was born into a Punjabi family in

Uganda }), is a landlocked country in East Africa. The country is bordered to the east by Kenya, to the north by South Sudan, to the west by the Democratic Republic of the Congo, to the south-west by Rwanda, and to the south by Tanzania. The south ...

, in 1962.

Education

Iqbal was educated at Garrett Green Comprehensive School in

Tooting Tooting is a district in South London, forming part of the London Borough of Wandsworth and partly in the London Borough of Merton. It is located south south-west of Charing Cross. History Tooting has been settled since pre-Saxon times. ...

South London South London is the southern part of London, England, south of the River Thames. The region consists of the boroughs, in whole or in part, of Bexley, Bromley, Croydon, Greenwich, Kingston, Lambeth, Lewisham, Merton, Richmond, Southwark, ...

, followed by the

University of East Anglia The University of East Anglia (UEA) is a public research university in Norwich, England. Established in 1963 on a campus west of the city centre, the university has four faculties and 26 schools of study. The annual income of the institution f ...

, from which she graduated with a BA in

American Studies American studies or American civilization is an interdisciplinary field of scholarship that examines American literature, history, society, and culture. It traditionally incorporates literary criticism, historiography and critical theory. Sch ...

in 1985. During her time at UEA she spent a year abroad at

Trinity College, Connecticut Trinity College is a private liberal arts college in Hartford, Connecticut. Founded as Washington College in 1823, it is the second-oldest college in the state of Connecticut. Coeducational since 1969, the college enrolls 2,235 students. Trini ...

Life and career

Iqbal is a former arts correspondent for BBC News, regularly appearing in news bulletins to report on arts related stories. She has also hosted the BBCs ''

HARDtalk ''HARDtalk'' is a BBC television and radio programme broadcast on the BBC News Channel, on BBC World News, and on the BBC World Service. Broadcast times and days vary, depending on broadcasting platform and geographic location. ''HARDtal ...

Extra'' programme, interviewing prominent figures from the arts including

Sting Sting may refer to: * Stinger or sting, a structure of an animal to inject venom, or the injury produced by a stinger * Irritating hairs or prickles of a stinging plant, or the plant itself Fictional characters and entities * Sting (Middle-ear ...

and

Jacqueline Wilson Dame Jacqueline Wilson (née Aitken; born 17 December 1945) is an English novelist known for her popular children's literature. Her novels have been notable for featuring realistic topics such as adoption and divorce without alienating her lar ...

. In 2009, Iqbal applied for the Arts Editor position with BBC News but the role went to

Will Gompertz William Edward Gompertz (born 25 August 1965) was the BBC's arts editor before moving to a position as the Barbican Centre’s Artistic Director from 1 June 2021. Gompertz attended Dulwich Preparatory School, in Cranbrook, Kent. Gompertz was ...

. Iqbal has reported on mainstream news items for BBC News. One of the first of these was an investigation into a charity scam following the earthquake in Haiti in January 2010. In mid-2010, Iqbal presented relief shifts on the

, as well as presenting ''Talking Books'' on the channel. From 2011 Iqbal has also been a regular presenter of ''

'' on the

. In spring 2022, Iqbal took a sabbatical from the BBC to take up a six month post as a Ferris Visiting Journalism Professor at

Princeton University Princeton University is a private research university in Princeton, New Jersey. Founded in 1746 in Elizabeth as the College of New Jersey, Princeton is the fourth-oldest institution of higher education in the United States and one of the n ...

, where she taught a class on journalism with a focus on international news. she presented a range of YouTube discussions during that period on the

Russian Invasion of Ukraine On 24 February 2022, in a major escalation of the Russo-Ukrainian War, which began in 2014. The invasion has resulted in tens of thousands of deaths on both sides. It has caused Europe's largest refugee crisis since World War II. ...

Awards and nominations

In January 2013, Iqbal was nominated for the Services to Media award at the

British Muslim Awards The British Muslim Awards are an annual award ceremony that honours the success and achievements of British Muslim individuals, groups and businesses. It was established in 2013. Overview The British Muslim Awards was founded by Oceanic Consult ...

Personal life

Iqbal is separated from husband George Arney, a presenter of '' The World Today''.

References

External links

Razia's Arthouse Blog
* {{DEFAULTSORT:Iqbal, Razia 1962 births Women radio journalists Living people Alumni of the University of East Anglia BBC newsreaders and journalists BBC World Service presenters British people of Pakistani descent Princeton University faculty