Richard Engel (born September 16, 1973) is an American journalist and author who is the chief

foreign correspondent A correspondent or on-the-scene reporter is usually a journalist or commentator for a magazine, or an agent who contributes reports to a newspaper, or radio or television news, or another type of company, from a remote, often distant, locati ...

for

NBC News NBC News is the news division of the American broadcast television network NBC. The division operates under NBCUniversal Media Group, a division of NBCUniversal, which is itself a subsidiary of Comcast. The news division's various operations r ...

. He was assigned to that position on April 18, 2008, after serving as the network's Middle East

correspondent A correspondent or on-the-scene reporter is usually a journalist or commentator for a magazine, or an agent who contributes reports to a newspaper, or radio or television news, or another type of company, from a remote, often distant, locati ...

and

Beirut Beirut ( ; ) is the Capital city, capital and largest city of Lebanon. , Greater Beirut has a population of 2.5 million, just under half of Lebanon's population, which makes it the List of largest cities in the Levant region by populatio ...

bureau chief. Before joining NBC in May 2003, Engel reported on the start of the 2003 war in Iraq for

ABC News ABC News most commonly refers to: * ABC News (Australia), a national news service of the Australian Broadcasting Corporation * ABC News (United States), a news-gathering and broadcasting division of the American Broadcasting Company ABC News may a ...

as a freelance journalist in Baghdad. Engel is known for having covered the Iraq War, the

Arab Spring The Arab Spring () was a series of Nonviolent resistance, anti-government protests, Rebellion, uprisings, and Insurgency, armed rebellions that spread across much of the Arab world in the early 2010s. It began Tunisian revolution, in Tunisia ...

and the Syrian Civil War. He speaks and reads Arabic fluently and is fluent in Italian and Spanish. Engel received the Medill Medal for Courage in Journalism for his report "War Zone Diary". Engel wrote ''A Fist in the Hornet's Nest'', published in 2004, about his experience covering the

Iraq War The Iraq War (), also referred to as the Second Gulf War, was a prolonged conflict in Iraq lasting from 2003 to 2011. It began with 2003 invasion of Iraq, the invasion by a Multi-National Force – Iraq, United States-led coalition, which ...

from

Baghdad Baghdad ( or ; , ) is the capital and List of largest cities of Iraq, largest city of Iraq, located along the Tigris in the central part of the country. With a population exceeding 7 million, it ranks among the List of largest cities in the A ...

. His most recent book, '' And Then All Hell Broke Loose'', published in 2016, is about his two-decade career in the Middle East as a freelance reporter.

Early years

Engel grew up on the

Upper East Side The Upper East Side, sometimes abbreviated UES, is a neighborhood in the boroughs of New York City, borough of Manhattan in New York City. It is bounded approximately by 96th Street (Manhattan), 96th Street to the north, the East River to the e ...

of Manhattan, New York City. His older brother, David, is a cardiologist at New York–Presbyterian Hospital. His father Peter, a former

Goldman Sachs The Goldman Sachs Group, Inc. ( ) is an American multinational investment bank and financial services company. Founded in 1869, Goldman Sachs is headquartered in Lower Manhattan in New York City, with regional headquarters in many internationa ...

financier, and mother Nina, who ran an antiques store, feared for their son's future prospects because of his

dyslexia Dyslexia (), previously known as word blindness, is a learning disability that affects either reading or writing. Different people are affected to different degrees. Problems may include difficulties in spelling words, reading quickly, wri ...

. His father is Jewish, and his mother is Swedish. Engel attended the Riverdale Country School, a highly competitive college-prep school in New York City, where at first he struggled with his schoolwork and progress. At age 13, he joined a wilderness survival camp where he learned about leadership and how to be more independent. His schoolwork began to improve and he started to gain popularity with his peers. He then spent his junior year of high school in Italy and became fluent in Italian. Engel began to appreciate the difference in cultures and countries that influenced his future career choices. He later went to

Stanford University Leland Stanford Junior University, commonly referred to as Stanford University, is a Private university, private research university in Stanford, California, United States. It was founded in 1885 by railroad magnate Leland Stanford (the eighth ...

, where he occasionally wrote for ''

The Stanford Daily ''The Stanford Daily'' is the student-run, independent daily newspaper serving Stanford University. ''The Daily'' is distributed throughout campus and the surrounding community of Palo Alto, California, United States. It has published since the ...

''. Engel spent one summer as an unpaid intern at CNN Business News in New York City. He graduated from Stanford in 1996 with a B.A. in

international relations International relations (IR, and also referred to as international studies, international politics, or international affairs) is an academic discipline. In a broader sense, the study of IR, in addition to multilateral relations, concerns al ...

Broadcasting career

After graduating from Stanford, Engel left for

Cairo Cairo ( ; , ) is the Capital city, capital and largest city of Egypt and the Cairo Governorate, being home to more than 10 million people. It is also part of the List of urban agglomerations in Africa, largest urban agglomeration in Africa, L ...

, feeling the region was where the next big story would erupt. He attributed his attraction to journalism as "the prospect of learning about new subjects and having the privilege of riding the train of history rather than watching it pass". He first lived in a ramshackle seven-story walk-up, learned

Egyptian Arabic Egyptian Arabic, locally known as Colloquial Egyptian, or simply as Masri, is the most widely spoken vernacular Arabic variety in Egypt. It is part of the Afro-Asiatic language family, and originated in the Nile Delta in Lower Egypt. The esti ...

and worked as a freelance reporter in Cairo for four years. Engel worked as the Middle East correspondent for The World, a joint production of

BBC World Service The BBC World Service is a British Public broadcasting, public service broadcaster owned and operated by the BBC. It is the world's largest external broadcaster in terms of reception area, language selection and audience reach. It broadcas ...

Public Radio International Public Radio International (PRI) was an American public radio organization. Headquartered in Minneapolis, Minnesota, PRI provided programming to over 850 public radio stations in the United States. PRI was one of the main providers of programmi ...

(PRI) and WGBH from 2001 to 2003. He also reported for ''

USA Today ''USA Today'' (often stylized in all caps) is an American daily middle-market newspaper and news broadcasting company. Founded by Al Neuharth in 1980 and launched on September 14, 1982, the newspaper operates from Gannett's corporate headq ...

'', Reuters, AFP and ''

Jane's Defence Weekly ''Jane's Defence Weekly'' (abbreviated as ''JDW'') is a weekly magazine reporting on military and corporate affairs, edited by Peter Felstead. It is one of a number of military-related publications named after John F. T. Jane, an Englishman who ...

''. Engel worked for ABC News as a freelance journalist during the initial invasion of Iraq by U.S. forces. Engel continued his coverage of the Iraq war in Baghdad as NBC's primary Iraq correspondent. In May 2006, he assumed his role as senior Middle East correspondent and Beirut bureau chief. During this time he covered the war between Israel and Hezbollah in Lebanon. He filed a number of reports from

Lebanon Lebanon, officially the Republic of Lebanon, is a country in the Levant region of West Asia. Situated at the crossroads of the Mediterranean Basin and the Arabian Peninsula, it is bordered by Syria to the north and east, Israel to the south ...

during the

2006 Lebanon War The 2006 Lebanon War was a 34-day armed conflict in Lebanon, fought between Hezbollah and Israel. The war started on 12 July 2006, and continued until a United Nations-brokered ceasefire went into effect in the morning on 14 August 2006, thoug ...

. In April 2008, Engel became Chief Foreign Correspondent of NBC News. In May 2008, he interviewed U.S. President

George W. Bush George Walker Bush (born July 6, 1946) is an American politician and businessman who was the 43rd president of the United States from 2001 to 2009. A member of the Bush family and the Republican Party (United States), Republican Party, he i ...

, largely about his speech to the Israeli Knesset. The interview also focused on Iran's empowerment as a result of the war in Iraq and how to counteract Iran's influence in the region. In 2009, Engel was stationed in Kabul, Afghanistan, covering the country's August

presidential election A presidential election is the election of any head of state whose official title is President. Elections by country Albania The president of Albania is elected by the Assembly of Albania who are elected by the Albanian public. Chile The p ...

. In 2011, Engel reported, at times through tear gas, on the Egyptian revolution. He also covered the Libyan Civil War, where he was nearly shot in Benghazi. The same year he toured and reported on the city of

Mogadishu, Somalia Mogadishu, locally known as Xamar or Hamar, is the capital and most populous city of Somalia. The city has served as an important port connecting traders across the Indian Ocean for millennia and has an estimated urban population of 2,610,4 ...

, for a segment titled "The World's Most Dangerous City", for which he would receive a News and Documentary Emmy Award nomination. Engel reported on the Israel-Gaza conflict of 2012, the continued violence stemming from the revolution in Syria and its consequent civil war, and the political transition of Egypt following the election of President Mohamed Morsi in June 2012. Engel is the host of the MSNBC special series '' On Assignment with Richard Engel'', which won a 2019

Peabody Award The George Foster Peabody Awards (or simply Peabody Awards or the Peabodys) program, named for the American businessman and philanthropist George Foster Peabody, George Peabody, honor what are described as the most powerful, enlightening, and in ...

. Engel's latest documentary, Ukraine: Freedom or Death aired on April 22, 2022, and covered the first two months of the

2022 Russian invasion of Ukraine On 24 February 2022, , starting the largest and deadliest war in Europe since World War II, in a major escalation of the Russo-Ukrainian War, conflict between the two countries which began in 2014. The fighting has caused hundreds of thou ...

Iraq War

While many media outlets pulled their journalists out of Iraq shortly after shelling began in March 2003, Engel stayed, and was subsequently one of the only Western journalists in the country. He was the only American television correspondent to remain in Baghdad for the entire war. Engel covered all major milestones of the war, including the first free Iraqi election and the capture, trial, and execution of

Saddam Hussein Saddam Hussein (28 April 1937 – 30 December 2006) was an Iraqi politician and revolutionary who served as the fifth president of Iraq from 1979 until Saddam Hussein statue destruction, his overthrow in 2003 during the 2003 invasion of Ira ...

. Engel reported on events from different perspectives by gaining and maintaining frequent access to U.S. military commanders, Sunni insurgents, Shiite militias, and Iraqi families. He frequently traveled outside Iraq's Green Zone, the fortified international zone in central Baghdad, to report on the genuine state of Iraqi life. At times, Engel said he found himself "dressed as a blue target" as a foreign journalist in Iraq. He survived kidnapping attempts, bombings, IED attacks, and ambushes. He spent years covering what he often describes as one of the most important stories of his generation, the Iraq War. He explains the conflict as occurring in six stages, or as six separate wars: # Shock and Awe, the U.S. invasion of Iraq # Nation-building # Insurgency # Civil war # U.S. troop surge, the influx of 30,000 troops in 2007 # Iraq exit strategy Engel received a request from the Bush administration to meet with President

at the White House to discuss Iraq and Mideast policy. Engel and Bush met privately in February 2007. In 2008, Engel interviewed U.S. Army General

David Petraeus David Howell Petraeus (; born 7 November 1952) is a retired United States Army General (United States), general who served as the fourth director of the Central Intelligence Agency from September 2011 until his resignation in November 2012. Pri ...

on the progress of the Iraq War and discussed the policies the general attributed to the recent successes in Iraq. Engel's award-winning documentary, ''War Zone Diary'', chronicled the everyday realities of covering the war in Iraq.

War in Afghanistan

Engel frequently traveled to Afghanistan to report on the situation between U.S. forces, the Afghan people, and the Taliban. He often traveled to the Korengal Valley, otherwise known as the "valley of death", one of the most dangerous outposts in Afghanistan. Engel reported on Firebase Restrepo and the soldiers of Viper Company stationed in the Korengal where he showed the fierce firefights taking place between U.S. soldiers and Taliban forces. Engel produced "Tip of the Spear", a series of NBC reports on the hardships and dangers faced by American soldiers, for which he won a 2008 George Foster Peabody Award. His coverage focused on the challenges of free elections in Afghanistan and the disruptions to democracy in the country.

Arab Spring

Engel reported extensively on the Arab Spring movement. He followed the uprisings in Egypt, Syria, Libya, Tunisia, Bahrain, and Yemen. In 2012, he was awarded the Alfred I. du-Pont-Columbia Award for his outstanding breaking news coverage of the uprisings. In Egypt, Engel often reported from

Tahrir Square Tahrir Square (, ; ), also known as Martyr Square, is a public town square in downtown Cairo, Egypt. The square has been the location and focus for political demonstrations. The 2011 Egyptian revolution and the resignation of President of Egypt, ...

, interviewing protestors in Tahrir Square as President Hosni Mubarak surrendered power to the Egyptian military. His reporting helped expose the role Egyptian labor strikes and worker protests played in the coup against Mubarak. Engel reported on the revolution in Libya from the front lines, spending months traveling from rebel commanded areas in Benghazi to other rebel strongholds. In March 2011, Engel was caught in an artillery strike while interviewing fighters during a rebel advancement towards former Libyan leader Muammar Gaddafi's forces outside the city of Ajdabiya. Engel traveled into Syria repeatedly with rebel militias and the Free Syrian Army. He reported on the advances made by rebel fighters within the country as well as the mass defections from Syrian President Bashar al-Assad's government army.

Kidnapping in Syria

On December 13, 2012, Engel and his five crew members, Aziz Akyavaş, Ghazi Balkiz, John Kooistra, Ian Rivers, and Ammar Cheikh Omar, were abducted in

Syria Syria, officially the Syrian Arab Republic, is a country in West Asia located in the Eastern Mediterranean and the Levant. It borders the Mediterranean Sea to the west, Turkey to Syria–Turkey border, the north, Iraq to Iraq–Syria border, t ...

. Having escaped after five days in captivity, Engel said he believed that a

Shabiha ''Shabiha'' (North Levantine Arabic, Levantine Arabic: ', ; also romanized ''Shabeeha'' or ''Shabbiha''; ) is a colloquial and generally derogatory term for various loosely-organised Syrian militias loyal to the Ba'athist Syria, Ba'athist govern ...

group loyal to al-Assad was behind the abduction, and that the crew was freed by the Ahrar al-Sham group five days later. In April 2013, Engel recounted his experience in a ''Vanity Fair'' editorial, titled "The Hostage". Engel's account was however challenged from early on, with Jamie Dettmer of ''

The Daily Beast ''The Daily Beast'' is an American news website focused on politics, media, and pop culture. Founded in 2008, the website is owned by IAC Inc. It has been characterized as a "high-end tabloid" by Noah Shachtman, the site's editor-in-chief ...

'' citing unnamed sources, who believed Engel and his team had been kidnapped by rogue rebel groups opposed to Assad. In April 2015, NBC had to revise the kidnapping account, following further investigations by ''

The New York Times ''The New York Times'' (''NYT'') is an American daily newspaper based in New York City. ''The New York Times'' covers domestic, national, and international news, and publishes opinion pieces, investigative reports, and reviews. As one of ...

'', which had conducted several dozen interviews, suggesting that the NBC team "was almost certainly taken by a Sunni criminal element affiliated with the

Free Syrian Army The Free Syrian Army (FSA; ) is a Big tent, big-tent coalition of decentralized Syrian opposition (2011–2024), Syrian opposition rebel groups in the Syrian civil war founded on 29 July 2011 by Colonel Riad al-Asaad and six officers who defe ...

," rather than by a loyalist

Shia Shia Islam is the second-largest branch of Islam. It holds that Muhammad designated Ali ibn Abi Talib () as both his political successor (caliph) and as the spiritual leader of the Muslim community (imam). However, his right is understood ...

group.

Awards

* 2006, RTNDA Edward R. Murrow Award * 2006, News & Documentary Emmy Award, Outstanding Coverage of a Breaking News Story in a Regularly Scheduled Newscast * 2007, Medill Medal for Courage in Journalism * 2008, Peabody Award, for his coverage of the Viper Company, a remote U.S. Army unit in Afghanistan * 2008, Alfred I. duPont-Columbia University Award * 2008, News & Documentary Emmy Award, Outstanding Continuing Coverage of a News Story in a Regularly Scheduled Newscast * 2008, News & Documentary Emmy Award, Outstanding Live Coverage of a Breaking News Story – Long Form * 2008, News & Documentary Emmy Award, Best Story in a Regularly Scheduled Newscast * 2009, George Foster Peabody Award * 2009, Edward R. Murrow Award * 2009, Society of Professional Journalism Award * 2009, News & Documentary Emmy Award, Outstanding Continuing Coverage of a News Story in a Regularly Scheduled Newscast * 2010, News & Documentary Emmy Award, Best Story in a Regularly Scheduled Newscast * 2010, News & Documentary Emmy Award, Outstanding News Discussion & Analysis * 2010, Gracie Award * 2010, OPC David Kaplan Award for spot news reporting for a series of three reports from Afghanistan * 2011, David Bloom Award, Radio and Television Correspondents' Association, for Excellence in Enterprise Reporting * 2011, Daniel Pearl Award * 2011, Overseas Press Club Award * 2012, Alfred I. duPont-Columbia University Award * 2013, "

Tex McCrary John Reagan "Tex" McCrary Jr. (October 13, 1910 – July 29, 2003) was an American journalist and public relations specialist. He popularized the talk show genre for television and radio along with his wife, Jinx Falkenburg, with whom he hosted ...

Award for Journalism Excellence, Congressional Medal of Honor Society" * 2013, John Chancellor Award * 2014, Peabody Award for his comprehensive look at the rise of ISIS * 2015, Outstanding Coverage of a Breaking News Story in a Regularly Scheduled Newscast * 2015, Outstanding Hard News Report in a Regularly Scheduled Newscast * 2015, Fred Friendly First Amendment Award * 2016, National Edward R. Murrow Award, NBC Nightly News with Lester Holt Newscast, November 19, 2015, "Terror in Paris" Correspondent - Richard Engel * 2017, New York Press Club, Feature Reporting, On Assignment with Richard Engel - "A Matter of Trust" * 2019, Scripps Howard Award - National, International Coverage * 2019, Edward R Murrow Award for Continuing Coverage, Network News. * 2019, Sigma Delta Chi Award * 2020, National Headliner Award * 2020, George Foster Peabody Award * 2020, National Press Club Edwin M. Hood award for Diplomatic correspondence. * 2020, New York Press Club Award. * 2020, SPJ Sigma Delta Chi Award. * 2021, Edward R. Murrow Award. * 2022, NY Press Club Awards, Documentary National TV & Feature Reporting National TV. * 2022, Deadline Club National TV Spot News Reporting. * 2022, Telly Award Winner - Gold - On Assignment with Richard Engel, "Afghanistan: Graveyard of the Empires"

Personal life

Engel was married to a fellow Stanford student; the couple divorced in 2005. In May 2015, Engel married producer Mary Forrest. They have one son: Theodore, born in August 2019. Their firstborn son, Henry, was born in September 2015. Henry was born with

Rett syndrome Rett syndrome (RTT) is a genetic disorder that typically becomes apparent after 6–18 months of age and almost exclusively in girls. Symptoms include impairments in language and coordination, and repetitive movements. Those affected often h ...

, a genetic disorder that is extremely rare in males; he died in August 2022 at age 6.

Selected bibliography

* *

References

External links

MSNBC profile of Engel
* * * * {{DEFAULTSORT:Engel, Richard 1973 births 20th-century American journalists 21st-century American journalists ABC News people American expatriates in Egypt American people of Swedish descent American people of the Iraq War American television reporters and correspondents American war correspondents Foreign hostages in Syria American people imprisoned in Syria Jewish American journalists Journalists from New York City Kidnapping in Syria Living people NBC News people People from the Upper East Side Writers from Manhattan Riverdale Country School alumni Stanford University alumni War correspondents of the Iraq War War correspondents of the Syrian civil war Writers with dyslexia American writers with disabilities