Daoud Kuttab facts for kids
Quick facts for kids
Daoud Kuttab
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| داود كتّاب | |
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| Born | April 1, 1955 |
| Nationality | American |
| Occupation | Journalist |
| Awards | CPJ International Press Freedom Award (1996) World Press Freedom Hero (2000) |
Daoud Kuttab (Arabic: داود كتّاب) was born on April 1, 1955. He is a Palestinian-American journalist. He is known for his important work in journalism and for fighting for freedom of the press.
Contents
Daoud Kuttab's Journalism Career
Starting as a Journalist
Daoud Kuttab began his career in journalism in 1980. He started working at Al-Fajr, which was an English-language weekly newspaper. Over the next seven years, he worked hard and was promoted. He became the features editor and then the managing editor.
In 1987, he moved to Al-Quds. This was an Arabic-language daily newspaper located in East Jerusalem. He also wrote articles for The Jerusalem Post. During this time, he became the first Palestinian journalist to interview important Israeli leaders. These leaders included Yitzhak Rabin and Shimon Peres.
Fighting for Press Freedom
Kuttab often spoke out against censorship. Censorship is when a government or authority stops news or information from being published. He was critical of both the Israeli government and the Palestinian Authority for censoring the press.
He joined protests against Israeli censorship. Because of this, he was sometimes arrested and searched. In 1994, Kuttab led other journalists in a protest. They were protesting because the Palestinian National Authority had banned a daily newspaper called Al-Nahar.
After this, Al-Quds newspaper fired Kuttab. This happened because President Yasir Arafat directly ordered it. But Kuttab did not stop being a journalist. He continued to write for many newspapers around the world. These included The Daily Telegraph, Daily Yomuri, International Herald Tribune, Los Angeles Times, The New York Times, and The Washington Post.
In April 1996, he started something new. He created the Arabic Media Internet Network. This was an online magazine. Its goal was to share uncensored Palestinian journalism.
In May 1997, Kuttab was held by Arafat's government. He was not charged with a crime. People believed it was because he was broadcasting live meetings of the Palestinian Legislative Council. He was released one week later. This happened after many people, both locally and internationally, put pressure on the government.
Awards and Recognition
Daoud Kuttab has received several international awards for his work. These awards recognize his efforts to protect press freedom.
International Press Freedom Award
In 1996, he won the International Press Freedom Award. This award is given by the Committee to Protect Journalists, which is based in the US. He received this award because he fought for press freedom in both Israel and the Palestinian Authority.
World Press Freedom Hero
In 2000, the International Press Institute named him one of its fifty World Press Freedom Heroes. This organization is based in Austria. This award recognized his important contributions to press freedom over the previous fifty years.
Kuttab is also on the board of the International Press Institute. He is listed as the "Director General, Community Media Network" and "Founder, AmmanNet, Jordan."
