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Talal Al-Haj is an Iraqi
In April 2006 Al-Haj conducted a one-on-one 22-minute exclusive interview with former U.S Secretary of Defense Donald Rumsfeld amid calls from retired generals for him to resign.
In August 2006 Al-Haj's reporting on the First Mehlis 1st report on Hariri’s murder was nominated for the finals in the International Emmys "Breaking News Category." This made him the first Arab journalist to be nominated for a television News Emmy. He is also a blue ribbon judge in the International Emmys, in which he judges the finalists.
In November 2007 he won a United Nations UNCA Gold Award for Electronic UN Coverage (Television). This made Al-Haj the first Arab journalist to win a UNCA Gold Award (or a UNCA award of any kind) for his press coverage of the UN.
In 2010 Talal Al-Haj won again UNCA Gold Award for best Broadcast Coverage of the UN and its agencies.
Early morning on 10 July 2008 Al-Haj broke the story on Al-Arabiya of the up-and-coming indictment of President Omar Bashir of Sudan on crimes against humanity, war crimes, and genocide in Darfur. The story was then followed worldwide and was later announced on 14 July 2008 by the International Criminal Court in the Hague, Netherlands.
Al-Haj continues to work for
journalist
A journalist is a person who gathers information in the form of text, audio or pictures, processes it into a newsworthy form and disseminates it to the public. This is called journalism.
Roles
Journalists can work in broadcast, print, advertis ...
. He is the current New York/United Nations
The United Nations (UN) is the Earth, global intergovernmental organization established by the signing of the Charter of the United Nations, UN Charter on 26 June 1945 with the stated purpose of maintaining international peace and internationa ...
Bureau Chief for the Al-Arabiya
Arabiya (, transliterated: '; meaning "The Arabic One" or "The Arab One") is a Saudi state-owned international Arabic news television channel. It is based in Riyadh and is a subsidiary of MBC Group.
The channel is a flagship of the media c ...
news network.
Early life and education
Al-Haj moved to England, where he studied and graduated with aMaster of Arts
A Master of Arts ( or ''Artium Magister''; abbreviated MA or AM) is the holder of a master's degree awarded by universities in many countries. The degree is usually contrasted with that of Master of Science. Those admitted to the degree have ...
(MA) in Broadcast Journalism from the University of Westminster
The University of Westminster is a public university, public university based in London, United Kingdom. Founded in 1838 as the Royal Polytechnic Institution, it was the first Polytechnic (United Kingdom), polytechnic to open in London. The Po ...
in 1995, whilst working for the BBC
The British Broadcasting Corporation (BBC) is a British public service broadcaster headquartered at Broadcasting House in London, England. Originally established in 1922 as the British Broadcasting Company, it evolved into its current sta ...
in London.
Early career
In the United Kingdom, Al-Haj worked at the BBC for its Arabic News Service. He was based in London for many years before moving to head the U.S. bureau forAl-Jazeera
Al Jazeera Media Network (AJMN; , ) is a private-media conglomerate headquartered in Wadi Al Sail, Doha, funded in part by the government of Qatar. The network's flagship channels include Al Jazeera Arabic and Al Jazeera English, which pr ...
in 1997. As such, Talal Al-Haj was the first Bureau Chief in Washington, D.C. for Al-Jazeera's Satellite Channel. He established the first U.S bureau for Al-Jazeera in the U.S. capitol in 1997, and remained there until October 2000.
In 2002 he was appointed Abu Dhabi TV
Abu Dhabi TV () is an Emirates-based television channel that was originally launched in 1969. It broadcasts content from Abu Dhabi, the capital of the United Arab Emirates, and is owned by Abu Dhabi Media.
Abu Dhabi TV is managed by the Abu ...
's Bureau Chief in New York. For two years Al-Haj covered all UN events and deliberations that preceded the March 2003 Iraq war. During this period he conducted numerous exclusive interviews with UN Secretary General Kofi Annan
Kofi Atta Annan (8 April 193818 August 2018) was a Ghanaian diplomat who served as the seventh secretary-general of the United Nations from 1997 to 2006. Annan and the UN were the co-recipients of the 2001 Nobel Peace Prize. He was the founder a ...
, UNMOVIC, IAEA Chiefs, and many Ambassadors of the permanent and elected member states of the UN Security Council
The United Nations Security Council (UNSC) is one of the six principal organs of the United Nations (UN) and is charged with ensuring international peace and security, recommending the admission of new UN members to the General Assembly, an ...
.
Career at Al-Arabiya
In April 2006 Al-Haj conducted a one-on-one 22-minute exclusive interview with former U.S Secretary of Defense Donald Rumsfeld amid calls from retired generals for him to resign.
In August 2006 Al-Haj's reporting on the First Mehlis 1st report on Hariri’s murder was nominated for the finals in the International Emmys "Breaking News Category." This made him the first Arab journalist to be nominated for a television News Emmy. He is also a blue ribbon judge in the International Emmys, in which he judges the finalists.
In November 2007 he won a United Nations UNCA Gold Award for Electronic UN Coverage (Television). This made Al-Haj the first Arab journalist to win a UNCA Gold Award (or a UNCA award of any kind) for his press coverage of the UN.
In 2010 Talal Al-Haj won again UNCA Gold Award for best Broadcast Coverage of the UN and its agencies.
Early morning on 10 July 2008 Al-Haj broke the story on Al-Arabiya of the up-and-coming indictment of President Omar Bashir of Sudan on crimes against humanity, war crimes, and genocide in Darfur. The story was then followed worldwide and was later announced on 14 July 2008 by the International Criminal Court in the Hague, Netherlands.
Al-Haj continues to work for Al-Arabiya
Arabiya (, transliterated: '; meaning "The Arabic One" or "The Arab One") is a Saudi state-owned international Arabic news television channel. It is based in Riyadh and is a subsidiary of MBC Group.
The channel is a flagship of the media c ...
as their NY/U.N bureau Chief based at the United Nations in New York.
Achievements
He has been an accredited correspondent at the White House, Congress, State department, U.S. Department of State, the The Pentagon, Pentagon, the United Nations, and the New York City Police Department. Al-Haj holds the record of 8 sit-down interviews with SGKofi Annan
Kofi Atta Annan (8 April 193818 August 2018) was a Ghanaian diplomat who served as the seventh secretary-general of the United Nations from 1997 to 2006. Annan and the UN were the co-recipients of the 2001 Nobel Peace Prize. He was the founder a ...
, including the last TV sit-down interview Annan gave before leaving office after 10 years as Secretary General of the U.N on Dec 22, 2006.
Al-Haj has posed questions to and conducted interviews with, a wide range of political figures including, President George W. Bush, President Bill Clinton, President Hosni Mubarak of Egypt, the late Palestinian President Yasser Arafat, President Mahmoud Abbas, Vice President Ali Othman Taha of Sudan, Prime Minister Ariel Sharon, former Prime Minister Ehud Barak, former State secretaries Madeleine Albright, Colin Powell, and Condoleezza Rice.http://hongkong.usconsulate.gov/uscn_state_2008092501.html He also interviewed former Deputy Defense Secretary John Hambre, former Under Secretary of Defense Walter B. Slocombe, former President of Israel Moshe Katsav, Ambassador Kelly Craft, and Ambassador John R. Bolton, John Bolton. He also interviewed many Arab and world leaders such as Yemeni President Ali Abdullah Salih. As well as several Arab foreign ministers that include countries such as Saudi Arabia, Egypt, Iraq, Sudan, and Syria.
References
{{DEFAULTSORT:Haj, Talal Alumni of the University of Westminster Iraqi journalists Iraqi emigrants to the United Kingdom British people of Iraqi descent People from Baghdad Living people Year of birth missing (living people)