Zeinab Badawi
Zeinab Badawi | |
|---|---|
 Zeinab Badawi at Nobel Week Dialogue in Stockholm December 2016 | |
| Born | Zeinab Badawi 24 November 1959[1][2][3] |
| Nationality | Sudanese |
| Education | St Hilda's College, Oxford SOAS, University of London |
| Occupation(s) | Journalist, presenter, newsreader |
| Employer | BBC |
| Notable credit(s) | World News Today with Zeinab Badawi HARDtalk GMT BBC News at Five |
| Children | 4 |
Zeinab Badawi (Arabic: زينب بدوي; 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 (later known as ITV News at 5:30),[4] and co-presented Channel 4 News with Jon Snow from 1989 to 1998), before joining BBC News. Badawi was the presenter of World News Today broadcast on both BBC Four and BBC World News, and Reporters, 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 two. 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 studying Philosophy, Politics, and Economics (PPE) at St Hilda's College, Oxford. 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 degree at the School of Oriental and African Studies (SOAS), University of London, in Politics and Anthropology of the Middle East, graduating with distinction in 1989.[6]
Journalism and awards
After graduating from Oxford University, Badawi was a researcher[8] and broadcast journalist for Yorkshire TV from 1982 to 1986.[9] After a period at BBC Manchester she joined Channel 4 News in 1988.[9] 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.[6]
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.[10]
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.[11]
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.[12]
In May 2014 she was based in Johannesburg presenting coverage of the South African elections on BBC World News and BBC News Channel.
For many years,[when?] Badawi has led an annual Nobel laureate discussion in connection with the Nobel festivities in Stockholm, Sweden. The programme is shown on Swedish television.
In August 2018, she was awarded the President's Medal of the British Academy "for her contributions to international political journalism".[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 has also been Chair of the Royal African Society (RAS) since 2014.[16][17]
She is a trustee of the National Portrait Gallery (since 2004)[8][18] and the British Council.[9]
In June 2011 her appointment to the advisory board of the New College of the Humanities was announced.[19]
Badawi is founder and chair of the Africa Medical Partnership Fund (AfriMed), a charity which aims to help local medical professionals in Africa.[6]
References
- ^ a b c d e Dutta, Kunal (19 December 2009). "BBC appoints two female newsreaders in their 50s". The Independent.
- ^ a b Brooks, Richard (20 December 2009). "BBC bows to age rage and brings back mature women". Times Online.
- ^ a b "BBC tries to counter ageism attacks by recruiting women presenters over 50". Daily Telegraph. 20 December 2009.
- ^ British Embassy Lisbon: Zeinab Badawi. Archived 25 May 2011 at the Wayback Machine
- ^ "About World News Today with Zeinab Badawi", BBC, 26 February 2010.
- ^ a b c d "Honorary Fellows & Honorary Graduates | Zeinab Badawi", SOAS, University of London.
- ^ Scott Hughes, "CV: ZEINAB BADAWI Presenter, 'House to House'" (interview), The Independent, 19 May 1997.
- ^ a b National Portrait Gallery, Prime Minister's Office, 11 October 2004.[dead link]
- ^ a b c Zeinab Badawi Archived 4 August 2009 at the Wayback Machine
- ^ Julian Clover, "AIB hands out 2009 awards", Broadband TV News, 4 November 2009.
- ^ "Julia Somerville to present on BBC News channel". BBC News. 23 December 2009. Retrieved 23 December 2009.
- ^ "SOAS Graduation Honours Achievements of Leading International Figures", SOAS, 14 July 2011.
- ^ "Award-winning journalists, prehistorians and world-leading economists honoured with prestigious British Academy prizes and medals". British Academy. 20 August 2018. Retrieved 5 September 2018.
- ^ The Future of International Development Foreign Policy Centre
- ^ ODI Annual Report 2002 Overseas Development Institute
- ^ Dele Meiji Fatunla, "Zeinab Badawi is the new chairperson of the Royal African Society", Royal African Society, 1 September 2014.
- ^ "Senior BBC Presenter Zeinab Badawi appointed Chair of Royal Africa Society", Kenya London News, 2 September 2014.
- ^ National Portrait Gallery reappointments Archived 13 January 2010 at the Wayback Machine August 2008
- ^ Advisory Board Archived 9 June 2011 at the Wayback Machineties. Accessed June 2011.
External links
- 1959 births
- Living people
- Alumni of St Hilda's College, Oxford
- Alumni of SOAS, University of London
- BBC newsreaders and journalists
- BBC World News
- BBC World Service
- British reporters and correspondents
- British television newsreaders and news presenters
- British television presenters
- English people of Sudanese descent
- English television journalists
- English women journalists
- ITN newsreaders and journalists
- New College of the Humanities
- Sudanese emigrants to the United Kingdom
- Sudanese journalists
- British women television journalists
- Recipients of the President's Medal (British Academy)
- Women radio presenters