Zeinab Badawi

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Zeinab Badawi

Zeinab Badawi moderating a panel discussion at the UN in 2011
Born Zeinab Badawi
(1959-11-24) 24 November 1959[1][2][3]
Sudan[1]
Education University of Oxford,
School of Oriental and African Studies (SOAS)
Occupation Journalist, Presenter, Newsreader
Employer BBC
Notable credit(s) World News Today
HARDtalk
GMT
BBC News at Five"
Children 4

Zeinab Badawi (born 24 November 1959)[1][2][3] is a Sudanese-British television and radio journalist. She was the first presenter of the ITV Morning News (now known as ITV News at 5:30),[4] and co-presented Channel 4 News with Jon Snow (1989–1998), before joining BBC News. Badawi is currently the presenter of World News Today broadcast on both BBC Four and BBC World News, and Reporters (BBC News programme), a weekly showcase of reports from the BBC.[5]

Background and education

Badawi was born in Sudan[1] and has lived in Britain since the age of three. Her great-grandfather, Sheikh Babiker Badri, fought against Kitchener's British forces at the Battle of Omdurman in 1898 and pioneered women's education in Sudan. Badawi's father was a newspaper editor in Sudan committed to social reform who, when the family moved to the UK, joined the BBC's Arabic Service.[6] Badawi speaks Arabic but not fluently. She was educated at Hornsey High School for Girls in North London, before going up to read Philosophy, Politics, and Economics (PPE) at St Hilda's College, Oxford University. At Oxford, Badawi was a member of the Oxford University Broadcasting Society.[7] In 1988 she moved back to London to pursue a full-time one year MA at School of Oriental and African Studies (SOAS), University of London in Politics and Anthropology of the Middle East, graduating with distinction in 1989.[8] Badawi lives in Belsize Park, Camden, North London, and is divorced with two sons and two daughters.[citation needed]

Journalism and awards

After Oxford, Badawi was a researcher[9] and broadcast journalist for Yorkshire TV from 1982 to 1986.[10] After a period at BBC Manchester she joined Channel 4 News in 1988.[10] Badawi co-presented Channel 4 News from 1989 until 1998 when she joined the BBC.[1]

At the BBC Badawi worked as presenter and reporter for Westminster live political programmes for five years. She also worked on BBC radio as a regular presenter of The World Tonight on Radio 4 and BBC World Service's Newshour.

In 2005, Badawi became the new presenter of The World on BBC Four, the UK's first daily news bulletin devoted principally to international news. In May 2007 the programme was rebranded as World News Today and is also shown on the BBC World News channel.

She is a regular presenter of the BBC interview programme HARDtalk. In an exclusive interview in May 2009, Badawi interviewed Sudan's President Omar Al-Bashir, the first serving head of state to be charged with war crimes.[8]

In November 2009, Badawi was named International TV Personality of the Year in the Annual Media Awards, the international media excellence awards organised by the Association for International Broadcasting.[11]

Since 2010, in addition to her presenting role on BBC World News, Badawi has presented on the BBC News Channel and the BBC News at Five.[12]

Badawi was awarded an Honorary Doctorate of Letters by the School of Oriental and African Studies (SOAS) in recognition of her achievements in journalism on 21 July 2011.[13]

Public positions

Badawi has been an adviser to the Foreign Policy Centre[14] and a Council Member of the Overseas Development Institute.[15]

She is a trustee of the National Portrait Gallery (since 2004)[9][16] and the British Council.[10]

In June 2011 her appointment to the advisory board of the New College of the Humanities was announced.[17]

Badawi is founder and chair of the Africa Medical Partnership Fund (AfriMed), a charity which aims to help local medical professionals in Africa.[8]

References

  1. ↑ 1.0 1.1 1.2 1.3 1.4 Dutta, Kunal (19 December 2009). "BBC appoints two female newsreaders in their 50s". The Independent. 
  2. ↑ 2.0 2.1 Brooks, Richard (20 December 2009). "BBC bows to age rage and brings back mature women". Times Online. 
  3. ↑ 3.0 3.1 "BBC tries to counter ageism attacks by recruiting women presenters over 50". Daily Telegraph. 20 December 2009. 
  4. ↑ British Embassy Lisbon: Zeinab Badawi
  5. ↑ BBC News
  6. ↑ SOAS
  7. ↑ Scott Hughes, CV: ZEINAB BADAWI Presenter, 'House to House', The Independent, 19 May 1997
  8. ↑ 8.0 8.1 8.2 SOAS
  9. ↑ 9.0 9.1 National Portrait Gallery Prime Minister's Office, 11 October 2004
  10. ↑ 10.0 10.1 10.2 Zeinab Badawi British Council
  11. ↑ Zeinab Badawi Knight Ayton
  12. ↑ "Julia Somerville to present on BBC News channel". BBC News. 23 December 2009. Retrieved 23 December 2009. 
  13. ↑ SOAS
  14. ↑ The Future of International Development Foreign Policy Centre
  15. ↑ ODI Annual Report 2002 Overseas Development Institute
  16. ↑ National Portrait Gallery reappointments Prime Minister's Office, 5 August 2008
  17. ↑ http://www.nchum.org/advisory-board New College of the Humanities:Advisory Board (Accessed June 2011)

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