"The AFPC-USA Plays a Leading Role in Supporting International Correspondents."

Kourosh Ziabari (Iran), AFPC-USA Professional Excellence Awardee 2022 with Nancy Prager Kamel, Chairwoman of the AFPC-USA.

Kourosh Ziabari is an award-winning journalist from Iran and an Asia Times correspondent, and a Professional Excellence Awardee of the Association of Foreign Press Correspondents. (AFPC-USA). A recipient of the Chevening Scholarship from the United Kingdom’s Foreign Office, he is the Silver winner of the Prince Albert II of Monaco and United Nations Correspondents Association Global Prize for Coverage of Climate Change. He is also an alumnus of the Senior Journalists Seminar Fellowship by the East-West Center, a 2022 Dag Hammarskjold Fund for Journalists fellow, and a 2022 World Press Institute fellow with the University of St. Thomas. He was a finalist for three Kurt Schork Awards in international journalism in 2020, 2021 and 2022, and his writings have appeared in Foreign Policy, Al-Monitor, The National Interest, openDemocracy, Middle East Eye, Arab Gulf States Institute in Washington, Responsible Statecraft, the Middle East Institute, and The New Arab. Kourosh is an American Middle Eastern Network for Dialogue at Stanford fellow. Some of the dignitaries he has interviewed include the former Austrian President Heinz Fischer, President of North Macedonia Stevo Pendarovski, former Mexican President Vicente Fox, former President of Poland Aleksander Kwasniewski, former President of South Africa F. W. de Klerk, the late Portuguese President Mario Soares, former Latvian President Vaira Vike-Freiberga and Nobel Prize laureates Jose Ramos-Horta, Vernon L. Smith, Edmund Phelps, Antony Hewish, and Frank Wilczek.

Kourosh Ziabari from Iran received his award from Kirit Radia, Director of International News, ABC News, during the Annual Foreign Press Awards Ceremony on December 15, 2022, in New York.

You have been selected as one of the Professional Excellence Awardees for 2022-2023 by the Association and Club of Foreign Press Correspondents in the USA. How does that make you feel, and what message do you want to share with the community of foreign correspondents in the US?

I certainly feel privileged to be the recipient of a Professional Excellence Award by the Association and Club of Foreign Press Correspondents in the USA. That's a remarkable recognition, and I hope it will shed a broader light on my work of journalism and what I have been doing for many years covering the stories of Iran and the Middle East from an alternative perspective I believe is often missing in the mainstream media's narrative on the region. 

Iran has been the provenance of distinguished, highly-qualified journalists, and many household names in international reporting that we are all familiar with, whether on TV or in print, are reporters and correspondents of Iranian descent. These days, as Iran goes through one of the most critical periods of its contemporary history while a fundamental social transition is underway and the nationwide protests that have been raging over the death of the 22-year-old Mahsa Amini in custody of the morality police have altered the public perceptions of the country on the world stage, the importance of objective, accurate and factual reporting is more relevant than before. I continue working to contribute to improving the standards of reporting on Iran while inauthentic and misleading accounts of this Middle East hotspot are abundant and strip the audiences of the luxury of critical thinking.

My message for the community of foreign correspondents in the United States is that the imperative of engagement with Iranian journalists and reporters shouldn't be underrated. This is a nation that has much to offer to the world, and is an indispensable constituent of global civilization with a revered history. Notwithstanding the political fault lines and the isolation that has been gripping it for years, Iran should be explored and understood, and one way to achieve this understanding is that Iranian journalists and other members of the civil society are part of a sustainable dialogue and meaningful conversations with their international partners. 

What do you see as essential in the role that the Association and Club of Foreign Press Correspondents play in support of the community of foreign journalists in America?

The Association and Club of Foreign Press Correspondents have a leading role to play in supporting international correspondents in the United States. If the association unleashes its full potential, it can indeed serve as a key provider of resources for the professional and intellectual development of the foreign correspondents, and at the same time represent their collective voices and afford them proportionate visibility. Foreign correspondents always need training, new skill sets, networking opportunities, contacts and resources to shore up the quality of their work, widen their outreach and ensure their reporting remains relevant. The Association and Club of Foreign Press Correspondents is best-placed to make these essentials available to journalists who often grapple with unfavorable working conditions, threats and challenges to keep the public informed.

The relationship between the association and the community of foreign correspondents in the US should be so sustainable and intimate that the journalists can consider the association their home and rely on it for assistance, collaboration and advocacy whenever needed. This is a pioneering brand that should be preserved and harnessed to benefit every foreign correspondent that requires its support for the promotion of high-caliber and ethical journalism. 

What do you consider to be the most challenging aspect of your job as a US-based foreign correspondent?

The most complicated aspect of my work is a concern I am convinced many journalists across the world share: to report the truth when misinformation and disinformation are churned out systematically in massive quantities, to distinguish fact from fiction, to draw a line between news and opinion, and to ensure my reporting is not swayed by corporate interests or government agendas. Journalists continue to be vulnerable, even in democratic settings where their freedoms and rights are constitutionally protected, and are amenable to crumble in the face of intimidation by pressure groups, cyber bullies, troll armies, and government-affiliated partisans bent on derailing the free flow of information. It is a daunting task to remain resilient in the face of such ploys, and this is what I personally find particularly challenging doing my work as a foreign correspondent.

My work involves reporting on some of the most controversial geographical regions in the world. Given the frequency of the coverage on Iranian affairs and the Middle East issues in the international media, it is remarkably demanding to attune the audience to reporting that is factual and authentic, reflecting the voices of the people of the region as opposed to reporting that places Iran and the Middle East into stereotypical contexts. It is a plus point that there is growing interest in the developments of the region, but this momentum also presents its own challenges, which means it is quite likely that sensationalized and hyperbolic coverage can be appealing to a wider readership. My job is to ensure I appeal to the readers' conscience and cognition rather than their fears or emotions. 

The journalists' job is never easy given how often they are universally targeted and abused, either by governments that have an interest in stifling transparency, or pressure groups that resort to social media to undermine independent journalism. And there is also the heavy lift of countering preconceptions while endeavoring to incubate dialogue. But with determination and passion, these barriers can be overcome. My commitment to professional journalism has been unwavering and I'll continue building on this passion to produce reliable journalism.  

What is the best way for a foreign journalist to succeed as a US correspondent?

In my view, it is through a genuine passion for journalism that every correspondent and reporter can achieve novel milestones and succeed in their careers. Journalism is under threat worldwide, and academic literature corroborates that it has never been harder to be a journalist. I have seen many of my journalist friends, who were by the way aspiring reporters with international accolades, who succumbed to the unfavorable realities of the industry and eventually quit their jobs or shifted to other occupations.

Admittedly, journalism is an ongoing battle against harsh working conditions, low wages and financial hardships, political precarities, threats and intimidation and all other inconveniences that each of us may face at some point. But if there is motivation, dedication and a bona fide enthusiasm for journalism, these storms can be weathered. An unmistakable recipe for success is for every reporter and correspondent to prioritize studying over producing, and continue following the stories of the publications they consider to be their favorite outlets from which they draw inspiration. Journalists are supposed to inform the public, and uninformed journalists cannot fulfill this mandate. Being trapped in our echo chambers stymies our efforts to be drivers of public awareness and education.

Even if my own coverage is almost exclusively focused on the Middle East, I cannot ignore the developments of the rest of the world, and keep following the global affairs through a number of international newspapers, magazines and broadcasters that I subscribe to, which helps me at least catch a glimpse of what is happening across the globe. An authoritative journalist needs to enrich his knowledge on an ongoing basis, and indubitably, without working to educate ourselves best, we cannot educate others or expect that our output is construed as persuasive.

What has been the most challenging or complex story you have covered from the US as a foreign journalist?

The nationwide protests that have been rocking Iran since September 16 have opened a Pandora's box for the country, and journalists covering the situation are pressured to come up with the accounts that are most representative of this unprecedented, volatile situation. There is an interplay of forces trying to sway the narrative in their own favor since what appears to be in the making is a fundamental transition of historic proportions. In particular, the reactions by the Iranian diaspora have been very passionate and vehement, and there have been periods of intense infighting among them, as well.

My coverage of the Iranian diaspora's role in the protests and their response to the evolution of the "Woman, Life, Freedom" movement, as well as the dynamics that explain their social media squabbles, divergences and incongruities, has been a truly compounded and sensitive undertaking. Iranian expatriates represent an enormously diverse, heterogenous and at the same time powerful community, and in individual terms, there are hundreds of world-renowned Iranian entrepreneurs, artists, academics, scientists, writers and journalists who are making groundbreaking contributions to their host communities. Covering diaspora politics is by definition an intricate task, and covering the attitudes and perceptions of the Iranian diaspora, which is a markedly sophisticated collective, is even more daunting.

My stories on the footprint of the expat community in the protests generated interest, debate and intrinsically drew criticism. I consider this episode of my journalism career one of the most complex and unique experiences I've ever had.

What criteria do you use to select the stories you think are worthwhile to cover?

My priority is to cover the stories that are in the public interest, are usually underreported and do not garner attention in the mainstream media. The media portrayal of the Middle East, and Iran in particular, is driven by incomplete accounts and sometimes misleading stereotypes about the region and its sociopolitical fabric. This means the global audiences, despite the overwhelming amount of reporting on the region, continue to be unaware of its nuances and subtleties, and it is contingent on progressive journalists to explain to the world what is missing in the dominant narrative and what is being eclipsed from the public view. This includes many essential human stories that are often untold.

It is my conviction that stories with a potential to incentivize change and stories that contribute to the collective awakening of our communities need to be reported in depth, and although some of the themes may not be the burning issues or voguish topics the readers are always looking for, it's part of the journalist's mission to guide the tastes and preferences of the audiences. If we sometimes feel we are inundated by publicity around matters that are not consequential or individuals who don't merit being on the headlines all the time but are receiving disproportionate attention, it's because people in the media industry are defining news consumption patterns and priorities through their work, and these definitions should be reworked consistently. Through my work, I strive to identify the stories the global audiences should know about but aren't being walked through, and put the spotlight on those enigmas.

What would you have done differently if you had started your career in journalism?

As journalists, we assert that we work to change the world for the better, and are entitled to critique those in power and other public actors, and hold them accountable. This is certainly justified. But unless we do a neutral and unbiased self-assessment of our own strengths and vulnerabilities regularly, it is highly unlikely that we will succeed in our missions and can push the boundaries of social change. I often look back at my performance and track record in hindsight and find many decisions I've made along the way worthy of revision and reconsideration.

One thing I would have done differently would be to curtail my expectations about recognition in journalism. As a young reporter, I had done amazing things, including exclusive interviews with several Nobel Prize laureates, heads of state and government and renowned public intellectuals and always expected these contributions should be recognized and cherished through awards and accolades. When recognition didn't happen, I felt disillusioned. Now I have learnt that recognition in journalism does not always happen at the time and in the ways we envision. And also, I've learnt it's misguided to work for the sake of earning plaudits. If the work is compelling enough, despite injustices and inequalities, it will eventually be recognized.

Also, I believe I would have been making more reliable decisions in different junctures of my career had I sought advice from the right people when I needed guidance. Indeed, investing more time in studying and enriching myself rather than insisting on producing output when it wasn't due would be something I would prioritize. And above all, what is the bottom line of my observations and experiences throughout these years is that I should not comment on, write about or claim authority on issues which I am not qualified to discuss or lack the relevant expertise or education to address. Much of the problems in the universe of journalism emanate from the firm conviction that we believe we should present ourselves as authorities and experts on every matter. This will ruin a career and is not a professional practice.