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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Israeli Jews seek to increase their numbers in East Jerusalem by buying homes from Palestinians. It's an extremely sensitive topic, and some Palestinians say they are tricked into selling. -
A Palestinian driver crashed into Israeli pedestrians, killing one, for the second time in weeks. Tensions are rising in Jerusalem over the most inflammatory issue between Israelis and Palestinians — the Old City Hill that is holy to both sides.
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The man-made trees are designed to create a public space where people can gather and re-charge a battery — their own and their smartphone's. -
Some Israelis are flying to China to buy most everything they need to furnish a home. They say it's cheaper than buying in Israel, though there are also cautionary tales of shopping trips gone wrong. -
An odd, beautiful and persnickety citrus fruit has its big moment during the Jewish fall festival of Sukkot. But then what do you do with it? -
Palestinian kids in Gaza went back to school this past week in buildings damaged by the war, with children homeless and traumatized, and more than the usual overcrowding they face every year. -
The shooting has stopped in Gaza, but the Israelis and Palestinians are now at odds over a large chunk of West Bank land where Israel plans to build more homes for settlers. -
Israel and Hamas have agreed on a cease-fire, which raises hopes of an end to the seven-week war in Gaza that has killed more than 2,000 people.
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The brother and mother of a Hamas fighter who was killed in a tunnel recall his path into militancy. They're pleased he died for what they consider a good cause.
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Fighting in Gaza took an ominous turn Friday, as a 72-hour humanitarian cease-fire fell apart and the Israeli military announced its belief that one of its soldiers was captured by Hamas militants.
