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Najwa Shihab
Najwa Shihab 2022 (cropped).jpg
Najwa Shihab in 2022
Born (1977-09-16) 16 September 1977 (age 47)
Ujung Pandang, South Sulawesi, Indonesia
Alma mater University of Indonesia (S.H.)
Melbourne Law School (LLM)
Occupation Actress
Journalist
Presenter
Years active 1999–present
Spouse(s)
Ibrahim Sjarief Assegaf
(m. 1997)
Children Izzat Assegaf
Parent(s) Quraish Shihab
Fatmawati Assegaf
Signature
Najwa Shihab (signature).svg

Najwa Shihab (born 16 September 1977) is a famous Indonesian journalist and TV presenter. She is also an actress. Her family background includes both Bugis and Arabic heritage. She is the second daughter of Quraish Shihab, who was once a Minister of Religious Affairs.

Early Life and Education

Najwa Shihab went to Jakarta High School No. 6. This was until 1996. During her time there, she had a special chance to live in the United States for a year. This was part of the American Field Service program. After high school, she began studying law at the University of Indonesia.

Her Journey in Journalism

Najwa Shihab started her career in journalism in 1999 at a TV station called RCTI. In 2000, she moved to a new channel, Metro TV.

Reporting Big News

In 2004, a huge tsunami hit the Indian Ocean. Najwa was sent to Aceh to report on the disaster. She saw firsthand the terrible damage the tsunami caused. Her reports and interviews with government officials made her well-known. She even received an award from the Indonesian Journalists Association for her excellent work.

Studying Abroad

In 2008, Najwa Shihab received a special scholarship. This allowed her to study media law at the University of Melbourne in Australia.

Starting Her Own Company

After working at Metro TV for over ten years, she left in August 2017. The next year, in 2018, she started her own news company. It is called Narasi TV.

Acting Role

In 2022, Najwa Shihab also tried acting. She played the character Nani Wijaya in the movie Sri Asih. Nani Wijaya was the first Sri Asih, a superhero character from 1954.

Mata Najwa Talk Show

Najwa Shihab
Najwa Shihab's talk show program Mata Najwa currently airs on Trans7

Najwa Shihab began hosting her own talk show called Mata Najwa. It first aired on Metro TV on 25 November 2009. The show was on every Wednesday evening. Many important people were guests on her show. These included former presidents like Habibie and Megawati Soekarnoputri. Former vice presidents and even then-Jakarta governor Joko Widodo also appeared.

Her show on Metro TV ended on 23 August 2017. This was when she decided to leave the channel. However, Mata Najwa returned to television on 10 January 2018. It now airs on a different channel, Trans7.

The Empty Chair Interview

In October 2020, Najwa Shihab did something very unusual on Mata Najwa. She interviewed an empty chair. This chair was meant for the Minister of Health, Terawan Agus Putranto. He was supposed to be a guest on the show on 28 September 2020.

Najwa later explained her actions on her Instagram account. She said she did this on purpose. She wanted public officials, especially the Minister of Health, to explain their plans for handling the COVID-19 pandemic. She felt it was important for them to share information with the public.

Interviewing an empty chair was a new thing in Indonesia. Najwa believed it was still a form of journalism. She noted that journalists in other countries, like the United Kingdom and the United States, had done similar things.

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