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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Dozens of soldiers have offered testimonials saying indiscriminate fire was tolerated, even encouraged in last summer's war in Gaza. This contributed to the high numbers of civilian deaths, they say. -
Mazel tov, it's a global baby boy! The egg was from a South African donor; the sperm was from Israel. The surrogate mom lived in Nepal. And when the dads came to meet their son, an earthquake struck. -
Palestinians often buy and sell land without title deeds, or proof of ownership. That's because most of the land doesn't have them. It's a problem dating back generations. -
The authorities in Gaza decided that the animal had to be slaughtered. -
The war between Israel and Hamas completely destroyed over 9,000 homes in Gaza. Not one has been rebuilt. Some, like the Otaish family, are cramming into the rubble-strewn rooms that remain. -
It lives in Gaza. It has male private parts — and udders. People think its milk might have special powers. The government thinks it's a scam and wants to kill it. We'll find out its fate on Sunday. -
Spring in the West Bank means Bedouin herders' ewes and nanny goats are full of milk — and cheese making abounds. The traditional method relies on a few simple ingredients and a long cultural memory. -
"Business-like" is how Obama characterized his relationship with the Israeli prime minister. He says the rift is based on fundamental differences in policy regarding the future of a Palestinian state.
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Benjamin Netanyahu's center-right Likud party has won at least a five-seat victory over its principal rival, the center-left Zionist Union. If he succeeds in forming a coalition government, Netanyahu would begin a historic fourth term as prime minister of Israel.
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The Israeli prime minister has warned his party may lose in Tuesday's election. That's despite his recent speech before the U.S. Congress that was expected to give him an advantage.
