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), born on April 1, 1955, is an American-Palestinian journalist. He is well-known for his long career in news and for working hard to protect the freedom of the press.
Contents
Daoud Kuttab's Journalism Career
Starting in News
Daoud Kuttab began his career in 1980. He started at Al-Fajr, an English newspaper published every week. Over the next seven years, he moved up in his job. He became a features editor and then the managing editor.
In 1987, he moved to Al-Quds. This was an Arabic newspaper published daily in East Jerusalem. He also wrote for The Jerusalem Post. During this time, he became the first Palestinian journalist to get special interviews with important Israeli leaders. These leaders included Yitzhak Rabin and Shimon Peres.
Fighting for Press Freedom
Kuttab often spoke out against rules that stopped the press from sharing news freely. Both the Israeli government and the Palestinian Authority sometimes limited what journalists could report. He took part in protests against these limits. Because of this, he was sometimes arrested and searched.
In 1994, Kuttab led other journalists in a protest. They were upset 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.
Even after being fired, Kuttab kept working as a journalist. He wrote for many well-known newspapers. These included The Daily Telegraph, Daily Yomuri, International Herald Tribune, Los Angeles Times, The New York Times, and The Washington Post.
Creating Online News
In April 1996, Daoud Kuttab started something new. He created the Arabic Media Internet Network. This was an online magazine. Its goal was to share Palestinian journalism without censorship. This meant journalists could report freely.
In May 1997, Kuttab was held by Arafat's government. He was not charged with any crime. Reports said it was because he broadcasted 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.
Today, Kuttab often shares his thoughts and news on his X (formerly Twitter) account.
Awards and Recognition
Daoud Kuttab has received several important international awards for his work.
International Press Freedom Award
In 1996, he won the International Press Freedom Award. This award came from the Committee to Protect Journalists, a group based in the US. He received this award because he fought for press freedom. He worked to make sure journalists could report freely in both Israel and the Palestinian Authority.
World Press Freedom Hero
In 2000, the International Press Institute named him a World Press Freedom Hero. This group is based in Austria. They chose him as one of fifty heroes from the past fifty years. This award recognized his important contributions to press freedom around the world.
Kuttab is also a member of the board of the International Press Institute. They list him as the "Director General, Community Media Network" and "Founder, AmmanNet, Jordan."
