Emily Harris
International Correspondent Emily Harris is based in Jerusalem as part of NPR's Mideast team. Her post covers news related to Israel, the West Bank and Gaza Strip. She began this role in March of 2013.
Over her career, Harris has served in multiple roles within public media. She first joined NPR in 2000, as a general assignment reporter. A prolific reporter often filing two stories a day, Harris covered major stories including 9/11 and its aftermath, including the impact on the airline industry; and the anthrax attacks. She also covered how policies set in Washington are implemented across the country.
In 2002, Harris worked as a Special Correspondent on NOW with Bill Moyer, focusing on investigative storytelling. In 2003 Harris became NPR's Berlin Correspondent, covering Central and Eastern Europe. In that role, she reported regularly from Iraq, leading her to be a key member of the NPR team awarded a 2005 Peabody Award for coverage of the region.
Harris left NPR in December 2007 to become a host for a live daily program, Think Out Loud, on Oregon Public Broadcasting. Under her leadership Harris's team received three back to back Gracie Awards for Outstanding Talk Show, and a share in OPB's 2009 Peabody Award for the series "Hard Times." Harris's other awards include the RIAS Berlin Commission's first-place radio award in 2007 and second-place in 2006. She was a John S. Knight fellow at Stanford University in 2005-2006.
A seasoned reporter, she was asked to help train young journalist through NPR's "Next Generation" program. She also served as editorial director for Journalism Accelerator, a project to bring journalists together to share ideas and experiences; and was a writer-in-residence teaching radio writing to high school students.
One of the aspects of her work that most intrigues her is why people change their minds and what inspires them to do so.
Outside of work, Harris has drafted a screenplay about the Iraq war and for another project is collecting stories about the most difficult parts of parenting.
She has a B.A. in Russian Studies from Yale University.
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American Jewish college student Amelia Wolf spent Hanukkah last year in Ramallah. As the holiday approached, she was lonely — until her Palestinian hosts got wind of how she was feeling. -
The Islamic State is not believed to be in the Gaza Strip. But a flier in its name was recently sent around the territory. Both Israel and Hamas are trying to use it to their advantage. -
Billions have been pledged to help rebuild Gaza, but little of that money has arrived yet. But a startup accelerator is drawing interest and crowdfunding from around the region and the world. -
The two leading Palestinian factions recently agreed to end a feud and work together. But in the Gaza Strip, the wounds have not healed from a nasty bout of infighting in 2007. -
Three months after the war between Israel and Hamas ended, reconstruction has barely started. Many people still live in half-bombed houses. But there are a few bright spots and a bit of innovation. -
Israel will hold parliamentary elections in March after Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu broke up his cabinet and asked voters for a new mandate.
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After a deadly attack by a Palestinian militant last month, Israel blew up his apartment. Israel says the aim is deterrence, while others call it collective punishment. -
Jordan is formally in charge of Jerusalem's Al Aqsa compound — on the hilltop contested by Jews and Muslims — and the kingdom is nervous that tensions could ignite a broad conflict.
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With tensions rising over a sacred hilltop in Jerusalem, Muslims "defenders" say they are protecting the holy site against Jewish activists. But critics say this is just contributing to the friction. -
So far, it's just scattered unrest. But with peace talks in the deep freeze and the recent scuffling over Jerusalem's most sensitive holy site, there's talk about the prospects of another intifada.
