Latest news with #HalaGorani
Khaleej Times
19 hours ago
- Politics
- Khaleej Times
'I just couldn't watch anymore': Former CNN anchor on the emotional cost of bearing witness
By the time Hala Gorani was ten, she had already delivered her first news report. But it wasn't on television or to an audience of millions. It was to her father, who was returning home after work, unaware that President Ronald Reagan had just survived an assassination attempt. Gorani, who had been glued to the special coverage on TV, relayed every detail she could remember. There were no phones then, no Internet. Just her childlike curiosity and the instinct to inform. 'I essentially reported it to him,' she recalls. 'And I was only ten.' That moment planted a seed. For Gorani, it was the start of a calling. One that would eventually span more than two decades at CNN, take her to the frontlines of conflict, and establish her as one of the most trusted faces in international news broadcasting. Today, Gorani is also a published author, with her recent memoir But You Don't Look Arab exploring identity, belonging, and the politics of perception through the lens of her own upbringing between Washington and Paris as a Syrian-American woman navigating the world. A childhood of contradictions Born to Syrian parents, Gorani grew up between Washington D.C. and Paris. Her childhood, like her identity, was a jigsaw of places, languages, and expectations. 'I have all these overlapping identities,' she says. 'And that made me, for a long time, feel out of place everywhere.' Her parents divorced early, splitting her upbringing across continents. Home was a fluid concept for Gorani, one not necessarily rooted in a postcode but in the rituals of constant movement and readjustment. 'My origin didn't match where I lived,' she adds. 'But now, more people than ever are in this situation. You're born in one country, raised in another, work in a third. So, where do you belong?' In cities like Dubai, where over 90 per cent of the population is non-Emirati, Gorani's sense of hybrid identity resonates deeply. 'You build your own definition of home,' she says. 'That's what I've learned to do.' Coming full circle Gorani's memoir isn't simply a personal reckoning but also a broader cultural reflection on what it means to live between identities, and how the label 'Arab' has been shaped, flattened, and misread by Western and even Middle Eastern societies alike. 'Even the title, 'But You Don't Look Arab', came from something I heard countless times,' she says. 'It speaks to the assumptions people make about how you're supposed to look, speak, or behave based on where you're from.' The book marks a new chapter in her career, but also reveals the same rigour that defined her journalism trajectory. She has previously covered the war in Iraq, the 2006 conflict in Lebanon, and the humanitarian crisis in Darfur, among others, always gravitating towards stories that humanise those on the margins. However, in 2022, after years of anchoring at CNN, a role widely viewed as the summit of broadcast journalism, Gorani chose to walk away from it all. 'You become a journalist because you want this sense of purpose, of telling stories, being where things happen,' she reflects. 'Anchoring a show, while prestigious, became more and more removed from that. I wanted to reconnect with why I started this journey.' Writing the memoir offered her that reconnection. It was a way of tracing the line through generations of her family — of women who moved, fled, or were uprooted, often without choice. 'I realised one generation after another, for one reason or another, migrated or felt displaced,' she adds. 'From the fall of the Ottoman Empire to Syria to France to the US, my great-great-grandmother was forced to move to a place she'd never seen before. I'm just one more stop on that long journey.' The cost of bearing witness With such deep-rooted displacement comes an instinct to bear witness and Gorani has done that, often at great personal cost. During the early days of the Syrian revolution, she watched harrowing videos daily: graphic footage of violence against demonstrators, scenes she now associates with post-traumatic stress. 'I became incapable of watching such videos anymore,' she admits. 'I'd take my earpiece out when anchoring if I knew the story was too hard. I just didn't want to hear children crying.' Recognising those emotional boundaries was, she says, an act of strength. 'You're not supposed to be desensitised to people getting killed. It's not a weakness to say 'I can't'. It's strength.' And even now, she draws her limits. 'I've never watched an ISIS execution video. I don't care who's in it. The thought is enough.' Gorani is also acutely aware of journalism's precarious future. 'The media industry is in flux. Legacy platforms are shrinking. Local papers are shutting. Social media has taken over but it doesn't pay journalists for their work,' she adds. 'I spent three and a half weeks fact-checking a story on Syria. That's what people don't see. Journalism takes time, and that's what makes it journalism.' Still, she understands why Gen-Z might hesitate to enter the field. 'You're competing not just with other networks now, but with TikTok, YouTube, everyone.' What keeps us from breaking? Her memoir contains a powerful line: 'As a journalist, I record the time, the place and the facts. As a human being, I want to know why some people don't break'. She pauses when asked where that resilience comes from. 'I don't know. I'm still observing,' she says. 'Some people are just born with more resilience. I've interviewed journalists in Gaza recently. Some are cracking, others are joking and smiling. Is it upbringing? Is it temperament? Maybe both.' And as for her? 'Oh, I break all the time,' she says, candidly. 'I'm emotionally porous. I cry often, just not on TV. I'd be worried if I didn't feel anything. That would mean something's wrong.' The introspection that shaped her memoir has also helped her make peace with belonging, she admits. Not by finding a single place to call home, but by returning to her purpose. 'For me, fieldwork is a higher calling. It takes me out of my own head,' she says. 'Some people find it through parenting, others through service. For me, it's this.' And in journeying back to the roots of her purpose, not a place, Gorani reminds us that belonging isn't always tied to geography. Sometimes, it's about doing the thing that anchors you, even when the ground beneath you keeps shifting.
NBC News
28-05-2025
- Politics
- NBC News
'I will not be part of it': Israeli teen jailed for refusing military service speaks out
Itamar Greenberg, 19, was jailed for 197 days for refusing to enlist in the Israeli military based on his opposition to the country's offensive in Gaza. Speaking with NBC News' Hala Gorani in Tel Aviv, he said he did not want any part in the war, and that the 'main job' of the Israeli army is to 'oppress and kill people'. Greenberg left his ultra-Orthodox upbringing to join a group of like-minded activists, who now protest weekly to call for an end to the violence.
NBC News
12-05-2025
- Politics
- NBC News
Israeli-American hostage Edan Alexander released by Hamas
Hamas released Israeli-American hostage Edan Alexander, who is believed to be the last living U.S. citizen held captive in Gaza. NBC News' Hala Gorani reports.
NBC News
11-05-2025
- Politics
- NBC News
Hamas says it will release last living American hostage in Gaza
The White House says Edan Alexander, a dual U.S.-Israeli citizen believed to be the last living American hostage in Gaza, is set to be released as soon as Monday. NBC News' Hala Gorani has the latest from Tel 11, 2025
Leaders
27-03-2025
- Politics
- Leaders
‘But You Don't Look Arab' – Hala Gorani's Struggle with Identity, Racism
In an interview at her former workplace, former CNN anchor Hala Gorani discussed her journey growing up in the United States in a Syrian-Arab family and why she felt the need to switch to her mother's maiden name and hide her Arabic language skills while job hunting. Struggles as Young Graduate Gorani, who speaks three languages, said, 'Yes, I deliberately changed my name. In the 1990s, I was in my twenties, a recent graduate from one of the most prestigious universities in France. I thought finding a job would be easy.' Gorani noted that despite her qualifications, she struggled to find work when her resume bore the name 'Hala Basha' —her father's last name being Ibrahim Basha. Institutional Racism in Hiring She continued, 'A friend from school advised me, 'Listen, remove Arabic from your resume because France has institutional racism and clear discrimination against minority groups.' This has been proven in multiple experiments where fake resumes with Arabic names were sent out alongside ones with Western names.' As a result, Gorani adopted her mother's maiden name, which sounded Western. 'I'm blonde with blue eyes—I don't look Arab. I also removed any mention of speaking Arabic, which is strange because it's an asset and shouldn't be seen as a hindrance,' she said. Her Book: 'But You Don't Look Arab' The interview with Gorani was about her new book, 'But You Don't Look Arab: And Other Tales of Un-Belonging,' and the challenges she faced abroad to avoid racism. Gorani pointed out that her past as an immigrant in a new country isn't much different from what Syrians experience today. She wrote, 'Even if people show immense goodwill and curiosity, you still feel mislabeled, misunderstood, and sometimes even belittled.' About two months ago, Gorani posted on her LinkedIn account about the printed version of her book being available for pre-order in the UK, Europe, and the US. Early Life, Family Background Hala Gorani was born in Seattle, Washington, USA, to Syrian parents who immigrated from Aleppo. She grew up in Paris and lived in Algeria for some time. @user1769287287816 #يارب❤️ #يارب_فوضت_امري_اليك ♬ الصوت الأصلي – إختراعات وانجازات سورية Researcher and academic Salam Kawakibi, also from Aleppo and based in Paris, told 'Al-Muhajiroun Now' platform: 'The Aleppine family name is spelled 'Kurani.' One of her ancestors was the late former Minister of Justice, Asad Kurani, born in Aleppo in 1907, who drafted the civil law and secured women's right to vote and run for office in 1949. He was also head of the Aleppo Bar Association from 1945 to 1946 and again from 1960 to 1961.' Education, Career Beginnings Gorani holds a bachelor's degree in economics from George Mason University near Washington, D.C., and graduated from Paris' Institute of Political Studies in 1995. She began her journalism career at La Voix du Nord and AFP before joining France 3 in 1994. She later moved to CNN in London in 1998. Hala Gorani speaks English, French, and Arabic and currently resides in London. Award-Winning Journalist, Global Coverage Hala Gorani is an award-winning anchor and correspondent with over 25 years of experience. She has covered history-defining stories and events, most recently as a primetime anchor for her show Hala Gorani Tonight on CNN, and is one of the most internationally recognized names in journalism. She has covered elections, revolutions, natural disasters, and conflicts on five continents. Additionally, she has interviewed some of the most senior political leaders of our time, including Recep Tayyip Erdogan, Malala Yousafzai, the Dalai Lama, Tony Blair, and Nicolas Sarkozy. Expertise, Industry Recognition Gorani has regularly hosted important events at gatherings such as the World Economic Forum in Davos and at the United Nations General Assembly. She is regarded as an expert in the media industry, human and social rights, women's empowerment, and international affairs, especially Middle-East politics. Gorani is the recipient of several Emmy awards and other notable industry journalism recognitions. Related Topics : Queen Rania of Jordan Embarrasses CNN's Amanpour by Debunking Claim of 'Beheaded Israeli Babies' KSrelief Signs Partnerships with Jordan to Help Palestinian Children, Syrian Refugees AI: Revolutionizing Future of Journalism and Media Saudi Media Forum Launches SMF Connect: Bridging Cultures, Empowering Media Talent Short link : Post Views: 7
