Alan Fisher (broadcast journalist): Difference between revisions
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==Awards== |
==Awards== |
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Alan Fisher was nominated for story of the year by the Foreign Press Association for his Al Jazeera piece called "Russian Advance from Gori to Tblisi", which was written while covering the [[Russia–Georgia war]]. In that story, he followed a Russian military convoy to Tblisi<ref>{{cite news|title=Al Jazeera Receives Prestigious Foreign Press Association Media Award |publisher=Zawya |date=November 26 2008 |accessdate=2013-05-12 |url=http://www.zawya.com/story/ZAWYA20081126144255/}}</ref> |
Alan Fisher was nominated for story of the year by the Foreign Press Association for his Al Jazeera piece called "Russian Advance from Gori to Tblisi", which was written while covering the [[Russia–Georgia war]]. In that story, he followed a Russian military convoy to Tblisi<ref>{{cite news|title=Al Jazeera Receives Prestigious Foreign Press Association Media Award |publisher=Zawya |date=November 26 2008 |accessdate=2013-05-12 |url=http://www.zawya.com/story/ZAWYA20081126144255/}}</ref>.His reports were also part of the International News Emmy nominations Al Jazeera English received for its coverage in Georgia and during the Israeli offensive in Gaza. He was a significant part of the team which covered the Egyptian Revolution for which the channel won a prestigious Peabody Award. |
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==In popular culture== |
==In popular culture== |
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Revision as of 17:14, 20 May 2013
Alan Fisher | |
|---|---|
| Born | Motherwell, North Lanarkshire, Scotland |
| Occupation(s) | TV presenter and journalist |
| Years active | 1983-present |
| Employer | Al Jazeera English (2005-present) GMTV (1992-2005) Scottish TV (unknown-1992) Moray Firth Radio Motherwell Times |
| Children | 2 children |
| Website | alanfisher |
Alan Fisher is a Scottish broadcast journalist and war correspondent, who formerly worked at GMTV and now works for international news channel, Al Jazeera English and is based at its News Centre in Washington DC. [1]
Early life
Fisher was born in Motherwell, Scotland.
Education
Alan Fisher attended Dalziel High School.[2][citation needed] He studied journalismt at what was then Napier College Napier College in Edinburgh.[2][citation needed] He earned his M.A. degree from the University of Leicester, where he wrote his thesis on the work of war correspondents.[3]
Career
On leaving school, he was accepted to study journalism at what was then Napier College of Commerce and Technology in Edinburgh. On completing the course, he received a number of job offers but opted to join Moray Firth Radio in Inverness. Moray Firth Radio in 1983.[4][citation needed] He worked there for 11 months as a journalist and presenter of the station's Sunday breakfast show before moving to Northsound Radio in Aberdeen. His work - including a number of exclusive reports and interviews - brought him to the attention of the bosses at what was then Grampian Television (now STV North) and he was offered the post of reporter/presenter on the main evening news programme North Tonight. His time there included covering stories such as the 1986 Chinook helicopter disaster, the Piper Alpha oil rig explosion and Aberdeen FC's 1990 Scottish FA Cup win. After six years in the North East, he moved back to the Central Belt of Scotland as a reporter and regular presenter of Scotland Today on Scottish TV During his time with the Glasgow based broadcaster, he reported from Saudi Arabia, the Gulf and Dubai ahead of the first Gulf War; and from Kuwait and Southern Iraq in its immediate aftermath. He also presented an investigation into an extortion racket operating across Scotland, which led to questions being asked in the House of Commons. During the 1990/91 season, he was a regular match day reporter on Radio Clyde's 'Superscoreboard' Sports programme.
When GMTV took over the Breakfast franchise on ITV, he was appointed Ireland correspondent setting up its bureau in Belfast. In three years in Northern Ireland he reported on a number of significant violent incidents and killings including the Shankill Road Bombing, the Greysteel and Loughinisland Massacres as well as travelling to report on war in Bosnia. He was also the regular stand-in correspondent in the Washington DC bureau. Having covered the first steps in the Northern Ireland peace process, he was transferred to London in 1995 on his appointment as Senior News Correspondent. In 1999, he was promoted to Chief Correspondent. While at GMTV, he reported on some of the world's biggest news stories, from the bombings in Bali and the invasion of Afghanistan to the London 7/7 attacks as well as the Death of Diana, Princess of Wales, becoming a familiar face on British TV screens. His coverage of the discovery of a missing schoolgirl in Brighton, live on air, was a significant part of GMTV's win in the National Television awards.
Notable works of journalism
Alan Fisher reported from Iraq during the 2003 invasion for GMTV.[5] While at GMTV, he also covered the Irish ceasefire agreements in 1994, the Dunblane school massacre in 1996, the Indian earthquake in 2001, and the 2005 London bombings on 7/7.[6][7][8] Fisher interviewed Irish President Mary Robinson in 1993.[9] He said the death of Princess Diana was the biggest news event he covered while at GMTV.[6]
While based in the United States, Fisher covered Republican presidential candidate Mitt Romney's presidential campaign in 2012. He anchored Al Jazeera's coverage from the Republican Convention in Tampa and co-anchored coverage of the three presidential and one vice president debate. He also featured heavily in the station's coverage of President Barack Obama's second inauguration. He wrote the book Romney's Run following the election with all profits going to journalism charities.[10]
Advocacy
As a reporter for GMTV, Alan Fisher intervened on behalf of dual US-British citizen Kenny Richey who was on death row in the United States. Fisher contacted actress Susan Sarandon, provided her with GMTV reports, and issued an authorized statement on her behalf. Fisher acted on Richey's behalf one year after interviewing him in prison.[11]
Awards
Alan Fisher was nominated for story of the year by the Foreign Press Association for his Al Jazeera piece called "Russian Advance from Gori to Tblisi", which was written while covering the Russia–Georgia war. In that story, he followed a Russian military convoy to Tblisi[12].His reports were also part of the International News Emmy nominations Al Jazeera English received for its coverage in Georgia and during the Israeli offensive in Gaza. He was a significant part of the team which covered the Egyptian Revolution for which the channel won a prestigious Peabody Award.
In popular culture
Alan Fisher made a guest appearance as a journalist on the ITV program Bad Girls in 2005.[13]
Selected works
Russia-Georgia war
- Alan Fisher, "Reporter's diary: Assault on Gori," Al Jazeera, August 12, 2008.
- "Russian army 'heading for Tbilisi'," Al Jazeera, August 13, 2008.
- "Russian forces sink Georgian ships," Al Jazeera, August 14, 2008.
- Alan Fisher, "Reporter's diary: A town on edge," Al Jazeera, August 15, 2008.
- Alan Fisher, "Reporter's diary: Gori awakens," Al Jazeera, August 18, 2008.
References
- ^ "Al Jazeera Profile". Al Jazeera.
- ^ a b Fisher, Alan. "About Me". Retrieved 2013-05-13.
- ^ Fisher, Alan (March 6, 2012). "Journalists lauding their dead can be a mawkish spectacle". scottishreview.net. Retrieved 2013-05-12.
- ^ "Alan Fisher". tvnewsroom.co.uk. May 21, 2009. Retrieved 2013-05-12.
- ^ "I'm taking my hairdryer into the desert... I can't report with dirty hair". Daily Record. – via HighBeam Research (subscription required) . March 13, 2003. Retrieved 2013-05-12.
- ^ a b McQueen, Craig (December 22, 2005). "Good Morning: The Scots Broadcaster Quits GMTV For A Challenging New Role". Daily Record. – via HighBeam Research (subscription required) . Retrieved 2013-05-12.
- ^ Spavin, Vicki (March 20, 2001). "A new sense of hope is rising from the rubble: In January, Scots GMTV newsman Alan Fisher flew to India after an earthquake claimed 100,000 lives. Last week, he returned to see how people are recovering from the tragedy. Here, he tells how the nation is fighting for survival". Daily Record. – via HighBeam Research (subscription required) . Retrieved 2013-05-12.
- ^ Fisher, Alan (January 4, 2003). "Waking Up Our World". Daily Record. – via HighBeam Research (subscription required) . Retrieved 2013-05-12.
- ^ Cooney, John (May 26, 1993). "Tea for two at palace breaks an old barrier". The Herald (Glasgow, Scotland). Retrieved 2013-05-12.
- ^ Burns, Andrew. "Alan Fisher: "Obama's Inauguration was Incredible"" (interview). bigissue.com.
- ^ "Sarandon bid to stop execution". CNN. September 4, 2002. Retrieved 2013-05-13.
- ^ "Al Jazeera Receives Prestigious Foreign Press Association Media Award". Zawya. November 26 2008. Retrieved 2013-05-12.
{{cite news}}: Check date values in:|date=(help) - ^ Fisher, Alan (January 30, 2005). "I was bad boy..for just a day". Sunday Mail. – via HighBeam Research (subscription required) . Retrieved 2013-05-12.
External links
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