Ramita Navai (Persian: رامیتا نوایی; born 21 July 1973)[1] is a British journalist, documentary producer, and author. A recipient of the Emmy Award[2] and the Robert F. Kennedy Journalism Award,[3] she has reported from over 40 countries and has a reputation for gathering stories on underreported topics in dangerous environments.[4]
Ramita Navai | |
|---|---|
رامیتا نوایی | |
 Navai at the University of Birmingham, 2012 | |
| Born | 21 July 1973 Tehran, Iran |
| Citizenship | United Kingdom |
| Alma mater | City, University of London |
| Occupations |
|
| Years active | 2003–present |
| Notable work | City of Lies (2014) |
| Television | Unreported World |
Early life and education
editNavai was born in Tehran, Iran, on 21 July 1973. Following the Islamic Revolution in 1979, she and her family immigrated to the United Kingdom, where they settled down in London.[5] Navai attended Putney High School and later graduated with a postgraduate degree in journalism from City, University of London, where she was recognized as Young Journalist of the Year by the Broadcast Journalism Training Council.[6] In 2023, she was voted Alumna of the Year of the Girls' Day School Trust for her work with "women’s and girls’ issues in some of the most war-torn and conflicted regions in the world" over the course of her career.[7]
Career
editNavai worked as the Tehran correspondent for The Times from 2003 to 2006, where she covered events like the Bam earthquake[8] and parliamentary and presidential elections.[9][10][11] She has worked in more than 40 countries, including reporting for the United Nations in Iran,[12] Pakistan,[13] and Iraqi Kurdistan.[14] She has made 20 documentaries for Channel 4's current affairs series Unreported World.[15] For ITN / Channel 4 News, she has made various features, including investigating child trafficking in India[16] and police gang-killings in Brazil.[17] Her report Macedonia: Tracking Down the Refugee Kidnap Gangs[18] won The Foreign Press Association London for News Story of the Year: TV award,[19] the Royal Television Society for The Independent Award.[20]
More recently she has reported on the activities of the Islamic State of Iraq and the Levant (2017)[21] and United Nations peacekeepers in the Central African Republic and the Democratic Republic of the Congo (2018).[22] She has written for many publications, including The Times,[23][24] The Sunday Times,[25] The Guardian,[26][27] The Independent,[28][29] the New Statesman,[30][31] and The Irish Times.[32]
In 2012, she won an Emmy Award[33][34] for her undercover report from Syria for PBS Frontline.[35] In September 2014, she appeared on The Daily Show with Jon Stewart.[36]
In 2017, she reported and produced the Frontline PBS documentary Iraq Uncovered,[37] which was also broadcast on Channel 4 with the title ISIS and the Battle for Iraq.[38] Iraq Uncovered/ISIS and the Battle for Iraq won the Robert F. Kennedy Journalism Award (International Television), the British Journalism Award for Foreign Affairs Journalism,[39] and the Frontline Club award for Broadcast Journalism.[40] It was also nominated for two Emmys (Outstanding Investigation and Outstanding Research).[41]
In 2017 and 2018, she produced and reported the Frontline PBS, Channel 4, and ARTE documentary the UN Sex Abuse Scandal,[42] which was broadcast in 2018.
City of Lies: Love, Sex, Death and the Search for Truth in Tehran
editCity of Lies: Love, Sex, Death and the Search for Truth in Tehran was published in the UK by Weidenfeld and Nicolson in May 2014 and in the US by PublicAffairs in September 2014. Based on extensive interviews and research City of Lies is an intimate portrait of modern Iran. It chronicles the lives of eight protagonists drawn from across the spectrum of Iranian society. It has been translated into five languages.[43] City of Lies won Debut Political Book of the Year Award at the Political Book Awards[44] as well as the Royal Society of Literature's Jerwood Award.[45] It was a Book of the Year in both the Evening Standard (2014)[46] and The Spectator.[47]
Reception
editThe stories are beautiful, and they’re so well-detailed and nuanced.[48]
One of the world’s most exciting cities, as revealed by one of journalism’s most exciting women. Navai slips effortlessly into the boots of earthy, urban writer to tour Tehran’s ripped backsides in this intimate, grand guignol debut. She transports us through the Iranian capital’s multiple personas with deft and knowing navigation: never short of love for even the lowliest of her fellow Tehranis. An intimate and devoted portrait, lifting a beautiful truth from a city masked in lies.[49]
Eliza Griswold, The Sunday Telegraph:
A talented writer, she quickly sucks us in with her first character ... Navai has a reporter’s eye for the telling detail… this is a timely and beautifully written insight into the lives of Tehranis.[50]
Documentaries
edit| Year | Title | Notes |
|---|---|---|
| 2022 | Afghanistan Undercover | Frontline PBS; |
| 2018 | The UN Sex Abuse Scandal | Frontline PBS; Dispatches, Channel 4; ARTE
Awards: Robert F. Kennedy Human Rights Journalism Award, Television - International[51] |
| 2017 | ISIS and the Battle for Iraq | Dispatches, Channel 4
Awards: British Journalism Awards: Foreign Affairs Journalism, and The Frontline Club: Broadcast Journalism Award Nominations: Rory Peck Trust: Sony Impact Award for Current Affairs,[52] and One World Media: Television Documentary Award[53] |
| 2017 | Iraq: Uncovered | Frontline, PBS
Awards: The Robert F. Kennedy Journalism Award for International Television Nominated: Emmy Award: Outstanding Investigation, and Outstanding Research |
| 2012 | Egypt: Sex Mobs and Revolution | Nominated: Foreign Press Association Award (2014), One World Media Award (2013) |
| 2012 | Honduras and Mexico: The Lost Girls | |
| 2011 | Undercover Syria | Awards: News & Documentary Emmy Award (2012) Outstanding Coverage of a Breaking News Story in a News Magazine, Nomination: One World Media Award in the Television category (2012) |
| 2011 | Breaking into Israel | Nomination: FrenchAmerican Foundation Immigration Journalism Award (2012) |
| 2011 | Burundi: Boys Behind Bars | Shortlisted: One World Media Award (2012) |
| 2010 | Zimbabwe's Blood Diamonds | |
| 2010 | Afghanistan's Child Drug Addicts | |
| 2010 | El Salvador: The Child Assassins | |
| 2010 | USA: Down and Out | |
| 2009 | Sudan: How to Fuel a Famine | |
| 2009 | Peru: Blood and Oil | |
| 2009 | Papua New Guinea: Bush Knives and Black Magic | |
| 2009 | Turkey: Killing for Honour | |
| 2008 | Nigeria: Child Brides, Stolen Lives | |
| 2008 | South Africa: Body Parts for Sale | |
| 2008 | Bangladesh: The Drowning Country | |
| 2007 | India: The Broken People | Nomination: Amnesty International Gaby Rado Award for Young Human Rights Reporter of the Year (2009) |
| 2007 | China: Chongqing: Invisible city | |
| 2006 | Guatemala: City of the Dead | |
| 2006 | Malaysia: Asia's Slaves |
Awards and nominations
edit| Year | Nominated Work | Category | Result |
|---|---|---|---|
| 2003 | Broadcast Journalism Training Council: Young Journalist of the Year | Won | |
| 2008 | South Africa: Body Parts for Sale | Amnesty Media Awards: Gaby Rado Young Human Rights Journalist | Nominated |
| 2008 | India's Trafficked Girls | Amnesty Media Awards: Gaby Rado Young Human Rights Journalist | Nominated |
| One World Media: Children's Rights Award | Nominated | ||
| 2009 | Brazil: Murder in São Paulo (2008) | Amnesty Media Awards: Gaby Rado Young Human Rights Journalist | Nominated |
| 2009 | India: The Broken People (2007) | Amnesty International Gaby Rado Award for Young Human Rights Reporter of the Year (2009) | Nominated |
| 2012 | Burundi: Boys Behind Bars (2011) | One World Media Award | Shortlisted |
| 2012 | Breaking into Israel (2011) | French-American Foundation Immigration Journalism Award | Nominated |
| 2012 | Undercover Syria (2011) | News & Documentary Emmy Award, Outstanding Coverage of a Breaking News Story in a News Magazine | Won |
| 2012 | One World Media Award in the Television Category | Nominated | |
| 2012 | City of Lies: Love, Sex, Death and the Search for Truth in Tehran | Royal Society of Literature Jerwood Award | Won |
| 2014 | Egypt: Sex Mobs and Revolution (2012) | One World Media | Nominated |
| 2013 | Foreign Press Association Award | Nominated | |
| 2015 | City of Lies: Love, Sex, Death and the Search for Truth in Tehran | Debut Political Book of the Year | Won |
| 2015 | Macedonia: tracking down the refugee kidnap gangs | Foreign Press Association in London: News Story of the Year: TV | Won |
| Amnesty Media Awards: TV News | Shortlisted | ||
| Royal Television Society: The Independent Award | Won | ||
| 2018 | Iraq Uncovered (Frontline PBS) | The Robert F. Kennedy Journalism Award for International Television | Won |
| Emmy Award: Outstanding Investigation | Nominated | ||
| Emmy Award: Outstanding Research | Nominated | ||
| 2018 | ISIS and the Battle for Iraq (Dispatches, Channel 4) | British Journalism Awards: Foreign Affairs Journalism | Won |
| The Frontline Club: Broadcast Journalism Award | Won | ||
| Rory Peck Trust: Sony Impact Award for Current Affairs | Nominated | ||
| One World Media: Television Documentary Award | Nominated | ||
| 2019 | UN Sex Abuse Scandal (Frontline, PBS) | Robert F. Kennedy Human Rights Journalism Award, Television - International | Won |
| 2023 | Alumna of the Year, Girls' Day School Trust | Won |
Books
edit- City of Lies: Love, Sex, Death and the Search for Truth in Tehran. London: Weidenfeld & Nicolson, 2014, ISBN 978-1-610-39519-9.
- Vivre et mentir à Téhéran, Stock, 2015, ISBN 978-2-234-07808-6.
- Stadt der Lügen. Liebe, Sex und Tod in Teheran, Kein & Aber Verlag, 2016, ISBN 978-3-0369-5750-0.
- Orasul minciunilor, ISBN 9789734657698[54]
- Город лжи. Любовь. Секс. Смерть. Вся правда о Тегеране, 2018, ISBN 978-5-04-094684-6[55]
- Miasto kłamstw. Cała prawda o Teheranie, 2014, ISBN 9788379618842[56]
- "Iran: Coming out from the Cold?" In Shifting Sands: The Unravelling of the Old Order in the Middle East, edited by Raja Shehadeh and Penny Johnson, 113–127. London: Profile Books.
See also
edit- Unreported World, a Channel 4 documentary series
References
edit- ^ "Ramita Navai", Geographical, 1 June 2014.
- ^ "FRONTLINE Wins Two News and Documentary Emmys". FRONTLINE. Retrieved 4 February 2019.
- ^ "FRONTLINE Wins Robert F. Kennedy Journalism Award for "Iraq Uncovered"". FRONTLINE. Retrieved 4 February 2019.
- ^ "Ramita Navai". IMDb. Retrieved 4 February 2019.
- ^ Navai, Ramita; Frary, Mark (20 April 2023). "Face to face with Iran's authorities". Index on Censorship. 52 (1): 41–43. doi:10.1177/03064220231165382. ISSN 0306-4220.
- ^ "City University sweeps TV and radio awards". Press Gazette. Retrieved 16 November 2015.
- ^ https://www.gdst.net/aoya-2023/ [bare URL]
- ^ "Quake survivors seek shelter in a barren landscape | The Times". The Times. Retrieved 16 November 2015.
- ^ "MPs to boycott 'farcical' Iranian elections". The Times. Retrieved 16 November 2015.
- ^ "Calls for Iran poll boycott grow". The Times. Retrieved 16 November 2015.
- ^ "Iran election divides rich and poor". The Times. Retrieved 16 November 2015.
- ^ Bam, Ramita Navai in (31 December 2003). "Quake survivors seek shelter in a barren landscape". The Times. ISSN 0140-0460. Retrieved 4 February 2019.
- ^ "Done Everest. Next: earthquake relief". Christian Science Monitor. 21 December 2005. ISSN 0882-7729. Retrieved 4 February 2019.
- ^ Irbil, Ramita Navai in (31 March 2007). "City trench that bars way to refugees and killers". The Times. ISSN 0140-0460. Retrieved 4 February 2019.
- ^ "Ramita Navai". Channel 4. Retrieved 15 November 2015.
- ^ "The real slumdog girls - Channel 4 News". www.channel4.com. Retrieved 4 February 2019.
- ^ "Amnesty International Media Awards 2009 shortlist announced | Media news". www.journalism.co.uk. 6 May 2009. Retrieved 4 February 2019.
- ^ Channel 4 News (5 June 2015), Macedonia: Tracking down the refugee kidnap gangs, archived from the original on 12 December 2021, retrieved 20 March 2017
{{citation}}: CS1 maint: numeric names: authors list (link) - ^ "Foreign Press Association London". Foreign Press Association London. Retrieved 18 February 2016.
- ^ "Television Journalism Awards | Royal Television Society". rts.org.uk. Retrieved 18 February 2016.
- ^ FRONTLINE PBS | Official (20 March 2017), Iraq Uncovered | Trailer | FRONTLINE, retrieved 20 March 2017
- ^ "UN Sex Abuse Scandal - Transcript". FRONTLINE. Retrieved 4 February 2019.
- ^ "Rape gangs of Tahrir Square". The Times. 1 December 2012. Retrieved 15 November 2015.
- ^ "Migrants risk kidnap and death for desert trek into 'rich' Israel". The Times. 3 June 2011. Retrieved 15 November 2015.
- ^ Navai, Ramita (28 December 2003). "40,000 feared dead in quake". Sunday Times. Archived from the original on 17 November 2015. Retrieved 16 November 2015.
- ^ Navai, Ramita (13 May 2014). "Breaking bad in Tehran: how Iran got a taste for crystal meth". The Guardian. Retrieved 15 November 2015.
- ^ "A women's rebellion". The Guardian. 23 June 2009. Retrieved 15 November 2015.
- ^ Navai, Ramita (7 May 2009). "Witch hunts, murder and evil in Papua New Guinea". The Independent. Retrieved 15 November 2015.
- ^ "Women told: 'You have dishonoured your family, please kill yourself'". The Independent. 27 March 2009. Retrieved 15 November 2015.
- ^ "Women on the frontline". New Statesman. 7 March 2009. Retrieved 15 November 2015.
- ^ "High heels and hijabs: Iran's sexual revolution". New Statesman. 1 August 2014. Retrieved 15 November 2015.
- ^ Navai, Ramita (27 June 2005). "Nuclear plan to stay, says Iran's new president". The Irish Times. p. 11. Retrieved 16 November 2015.
- ^ "The Emmy Awards - Winners of The 33rd Annual News & Documentary Emmy Awards - The Winners". www.emmyonline.org. Retrieved 15 November 2015.
- ^ Ben Sawtell (8 October 2012). "Multiple Emmy success for City journalism alumni". City University London. Retrieved 15 November 2015.
- ^ "Syria Undercover". FRONTLINE. 8 November 2011. Retrieved 15 November 2015.
- ^ "Ramita Navai". Comedy Central. Archived from the original on 17 November 2015. Retrieved 15 November 2015.
- ^ Iraq Uncovered | FRONTLINE, retrieved 4 February 2019
- ^ ISIS and the Battle for Iraq, retrieved 4 February 2019
- ^ "Hall Of Fame – British Journalism Awards". Retrieved 4 February 2019.
- ^ "Awards". Frontline Club. Retrieved 4 February 2019.
- ^ The National Academy of Television Arts and Sciences. "Nominees for the 39th Annual News and Documentary Emmy Awards" (PDF).
- ^ "UN Sex Abuse Scandal". FRONTLINE. Retrieved 4 February 2019.
- ^ "City of Lies". Ramita Navai. Retrieved 4 February 2019.
- ^ Flood, Alison (29 January 2015). "Ukip study scoops £10,000 prize for political book of the year". The Guardian. ISSN 0261-3077. Retrieved 4 February 2019.
- ^ Rashid, Tanjil (14 December 2012). "RSL Jerwood Awards announced". ISSN 0307-1235. Retrieved 4 February 2019.
- ^ "Books of the year 2014". Evening Standard. 20 November 2014. Retrieved 4 February 2019.
- ^ "Paul Johnson on Henry Kissinger, Susan Hill on David Walliams, Julie Burchill on Julie Burchill: Spectator books of the year". The Spectator. 15 November 2014. Retrieved 4 February 2019.
- ^ Ramita Navai - City of Lies - Orion Publishing Group.
- ^ "City of Lies". Ramita Navai. Retrieved 4 February 2019.
- ^ Griswold, Eliza (18 May 2014). "City of Lies by Ramita Navai, review". ISSN 0307-1235. Retrieved 4 February 2019.
- ^ Rights, Robert F. Kennedy Human. "ROBERT F. KENNEDY HUMAN RIGHTS CELEBRATES 'WORLD PRESS FREEDOM DAY' WITH ANNOUNCEMENT OF 2019 BOOK & JOURNALISM AWARD WINNERS". Robert F. Kennedy Human Rights. Retrieved 4 May 2019.
- ^ "Patrick Wells (British) ISIS and the Battle for Iraq Quicksilver Media for Channel 4 Dispatches".
- ^ "Longlist". One World Media. Retrieved 4 February 2019.
- ^ Navai, Ramita (2016). Orasul minciunilor - Ramita Navai. Polirom. ISBN 9789734657698. Retrieved 4 February 2019.
{{cite book}}:|website=ignored (help) - ^ "Город лжи. Любовь. Секс. Смерть. Вся правда о Тегеране – Рамита Наваи". ЛитРес (in Russian). Retrieved 4 February 2019.
- ^ "Miasto kłamstw. Cała prawda o Teheranie". Allegro.pl. Retrieved 4 February 2019.