In this interview, Ayman Mohyeldin discusses his recent experience covering the 2014 Israeli war on Gaza, as well as the changing shifts in media coverage of the Middle East during his career.
Please find the transcript of the interview below the player.
The interview includes three parts that you can click on separately.
Ayman Mohyeldin is a foreign correspondent for NBC News. Since joining NBC News, Ayman has reported from Egypt, Libya, Syria, Jordan, Turkey, Israel, Gaza and Lebanon. Inside Syria, Ayman traveled across the country reporting exclusively on the Syrian war with both opposition rebels and government officials. He has also reported on Syria’s humanitarian spillover into neighboring Turkey, Lebanon and Jordan. In September 2012, Ayman was among the first journalists to report from Benghazi, Libya following the attacks on the US Consulate. He most recently covered the 2014 Israeli War on Gaza where his reporting was widely cited and praised around the world. In addition, to the Middle East, Ayman has covered the revolution and turmoil in Ukraine, rising tensions in Asia between North Korea and Japan.
Prior to joining NBC News, Ayman was a correspondent for Al Jazeera English based in Cairo where he was at the epicenter of Arab uprisings covering the revolutions in Tunisia and Egypt. In January of 2011, Ayman covered the Egyptian revolution broadcasting live street battles between the regime of President Hosni Mubarak and protestors. Throughout the revolution, Ayman reported from rooftops overlooking Tahrir Square where millions gathered to demand the removal of the President and his regime. On February 11, Ayman covered the ouster of President Hosni Mubarak. His coverage of the Egyptian revolution and the fall of the Mubarak regime was recognized and praised for its distinction around the world. From May 2008 until May 2010, Ayman was the only foreign broadcast journalist based in the Gaza Strip. During the 2008/2009 War on Gaza, he was the only American journalist reporting live from Gaza.
Throughout his career, Ayman has reported from Europe, the U.S. and across the Middle East where he has covered the Arab revolutions, the siege on Gaza, sectarian strife in Lebanon, Israeli politics, the Israeli-Palestinian conflict and human rights abuses in the Arabian Gulf. In 2007, Ayman's exclusive report during Egypt's referendum on constitutional amendments exposed serious voting irregularities and violations. Ayman was also among the first journalists to report on Gaza's intricate system of tunnels along its border with Egypt. From 2003-2006, he was based in Baghdad where he covered the immediate aftermath of the US-led invasion of Iraq. While there, he reported on the daily struggle of ordinary Iraqis and embedded with the US military to cover the Iraqi insurgency. Ayman was among the few international journalists allowed to observe and report on the US handover of Saddam Hussein to an Iraqi judge. He has also produced exclusive reports from Libya where he was the first journalist to enter one of Libya's nuclear research facilities.
Mohyeldin has covered nearly every major news event in the Middle East in the past decade as well as the aftermath of the Iraq War, the first multi-candidate presidential Egyptian Elections (2005), Israel’s withdrawal from the Gaza Strip, and the 2005 Palestinian elections. In 2011, Time Magazine named Ayman as one of the 100 Most Influential People in the World. For his reporting, Ayman has won a Peabody Award, the UK’s Cutting Edge Media Award , Argentina’s prestigious Perfil International Press Freedom Award, Lebanon’s May Chediac Foundation Award and Europe’s Anna Lindh Foundation Award in addition to several other American awards. He has received multiple Emmy nominations throughout his career.
Ayman has been featured in major international media outlets across the US, Europe, the Middle East and Asia. He is a frequent speaker at universities, conferences and institutions. He is also a Term Member of the prestigious US-based Council on Foreign Relations. Ayman was born in Cairo, Egypt but grew up in between the US and the Middle East.
