Pakistani and Yemeni Journalists to Work at Major US Newspapers

Fellowships to Honor Slain Journalist Daniel Pearl

WASHINGTON, DC and LOS ANGELES, CA – March 10, 2005—The Daniel Pearl Foundation www.danielpearl.org is pleased to announce the 2005 winners of the Daniel Pearl Fellowships awarded to outstanding journalists who exemplify the spirit and professionalism of The Wall Street Journal reporter slain in 2002.

Walid Al-Saqaf, editor-in-chief of The Yemen Times, Yemen’s first English-language newspaper will work at the Washington, DC bureau of The Wall Street Journal. Ammara Durrani, assistant editor of The News International, Pakistan’s most widely distributed English daily, will join the staff of the Los Angeles Times. Both fellowships are for six months and are provided in conjunction with the Alfred Friendly Press Fellowships with support from the Los Angeles Times and the Wall Street Journal.

"We are excited to have two fellows, one on each coast, continuing Danny's lifelong work of bridging cultures through journalism” said Judea and Ruth Pearl, Daniel’s parents and the president and CFO of the Daniel Pearl Foundation. “We eagerly welcome Walid and Ammara, exceptional journalists with a proven commitment to excellence in their own countries."

On March 19, Mr. Al-Saqaf, and Ms. Durrani will arrive in Washington DC to begin their training as the 21st class of Alfred Friendly Fellows. Like their predecessors in the program, these journalists will learn firsthand the practical realities of journalism in the United States, and the role it plays in our society with the objective that they will then return to apply what they learn at their own publications.

Created two decades ago by Alfred Friendly - a Pulitzer Prize-winning journalist and former managing editor of The Washington Post - the Friendly Fellowship class includes eight working journalists seeking to hone their skills. “The Pearl and Friendly Fellowships are exciting complements to each other,” said Jonathan Friendly, president of the Alfred Friendly Foundation. “Both represent the best spirit of American journalism reaching out to encourage editorial freedom and initiative around the world.”

Daniel Pearl Fellowship winners were chosen from applicants throughout South Asia and the Middle East. Mr. Al-Saqaf, age 31, will be the second Daniel Pearl Fellow hosted by The Wall Street Journal, where Pearl worked. Ms. Durrani, age 28, will be the first Daniel Pearl Fellow at the Los Angeles Times, Pearl’s hometown paper.

The Daniel Pearl Foundation was formed in 2002 in memory of journalist Daniel Pearl to promote the ideals that inspired his life and work. The Foundation works domestically and internationally to promote cross-cultural understanding, to combat cultural and religious hatred, to encourage responsible and creative journalism, and to enrich people’s lives through music. For more information please visit www.danielpearl.org.

To schedule an interview with Walid Al-Saqaf or Ammara Durrani please contact Susan Albrecht, director of the AFPF program, at 202-737-4414 or [email protected]

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