Alan Johnston

Infobox Person
name = Alan Johnston

---

birth_date = Birth date and age|1962|5|17|df=yes
birth_place = Lindi, Tanganyika
nationality =
death_date =
death_place =
education = MA in English and politics, University of Dundee.
Diploma in journalism studies Cardiff University.
occupation = Journalist
known_for =
spouse =
parents = Graham and Margaret Johnston
children =

Alan Graham Johnston (born 17 May 1962) is a British journalist working for the BBC. He has been the BBC's correspondent in Uzbekistan, Afghanistan and the Gaza Strip. Johnston was kidnapped by a group of Palestinian militants on 12 March 2007, and released nearly four months later on 4 July, after Hamas' military occupation of Gaza.

Early life

Johnston was born in Lindi, Tanganyika (present-day Tanzania), to Scottish parentscite news|title=The 'very grounded' journalist who won acclaim for his work in world's war zones|url=http://thescotsman.scotsman.com/international.cfm?id=580572007|author=Raymond Hainey|date=2007-04-16|accessdate=2007-05-11|publisher=The Scotsman] , and was educated at the independent Dollar Academy in Dollar, Scotland.cite news|url=http://www.nzherald.co.nz/section/2/story.cfm?c_id=2&objectid=10433220|title=Journalist's tragic role in Gaza's deadly rivalries|author=Mitchell Prothero|publisher=New Zealand Herald|date=2007-04-09|accessdate=2007-04-09] He went on to study at the University of Dundee, where he graduated with an MA in English and politics. Johnston also has a diploma in Journalism Studies from the University of Wales in Cardiff.cite news|author=Staff writer|publisher=BBC News|url=http://news.bbc.co.uk/2/hi/middle_east/6442663.stm|title=Fears for BBC Gaza correspondent|date=2007-03-12|accessdate=2007-03-16]

Career

Johnston joined the BBC in 1991, and has spent eight years as a correspondent for them, including in Tashkent, Uzbekistan, as well as Kabul, Afghanistan. He was in Kabul when Afghanistan was still under the control of the Taliban.cite news|author=Staff writer|date=2007-03-12|title=Living with risk in Gaza|publisher=BBC News|accessdate=2007-03-16|url=http://news.bbc.co.uk/2/hi/middle_east/6443667.stm] He was due to be the BBC's full-time correspondent in Gaza until 1 April 2007, and at the time of his kidnapping was the only foreign reporter with a major Western media organisation to still be based in the city.cite news|author=Kevin Flower and Octavia Nasr|publisher=CNN|url=http://www.cnn.com/2007/WORLD/meast/03/12/gaza.journalist/index.html|title=BBC fears its Gaza correspondent abducted|date=2007-03-12|accessdate=2007-03-16] cite news|title=Masked gunmen kidnap British reporter in Gaza City street attack|url=http://www.guardian.co.uk/israel/Story/0,,2032385,00.html|author=Conal Urquhart|publisher=Guardian Unlimited|date=2007-03-13|accessdate=2007-03-18]

Johnston covered many major stories in Gaza for the BBC, including Israel's unilateral disengagement plan in 2005, Hamas winning the 2006 legislative elections, the 2006 Israel-Gaza conflict and the Palestinian factional violence of late 2006 to 2007.

Johnston is regarded by the BBC as a respected, experienced journalist,cite news|url=http://www.guardian.co.uk/israel/Story/0,,2033392,00.html|title=Hamas government acts to free kidnapped BBC man|publisher=Guardian Unlimited|date=2007-03-14|accessdate=2007-03-18|author=Rory McCarthy] and due to his local knowledge, he was someone other journalists would turn to for information when in Gaza. Prior to being kidnapped however, Johnston was not a journalist well known to the general public. Following his release he announced his intention to return to obscurity [ [http://news.bbc.co.uk/2/hi/middle_east/6267928.stm BBC NEWS | Middle East | BBC's Alan Johnston is released ] ] though, as of January 2008, he took over the presentation of the BBC World Service version of the programme From Our Own Correspondent. Johnston's BBC colleague Paul Adams noted that it was Johnston's "job to bring us day after day reports of the Palestinian predicament in the Gaza Strip." Mustafa Barghouti, Palestinian Information Minister, has described Johnston as a "friend of our people", and said that Johnston "has done a lot for our cause."cite news|url=http://news.bbc.co.uk/2/hi/middle_east/6543773.stm|title=Broadcasters in BBC reporter plea|author=Staff writer|publisher=BBC News|date=2007-04-11|accessdate=2007-04-11] Imprisoned Fatah leader Marwan Barghouti has also called Johnston a "friend of the Palestinian people".cite news|url=http://www.jpost.com/servlet/Satellite?cid=1176152826775&pagename=JPost%2FJPArticle%2FShowFull|title=Barghouti calls for release of BBC journalist|author=Associated Press|publisher=Jerusalem Post|date=2007-04-18|accessdate=2007-04-18]

When not working as a correspondent, Johnston produces radio reports, one of which, on life after the Taliban, won a Sony Radio Academy Award bronze.cite web|url=http://www.radioawards.org/winners03/win03_b2.htm|archiveurl=http://www.webcitation.org/5NzCj4AEx|title=The News Programme Award|publisher=Sony Radio Academy Awards|archivedate=2007-04-10|accessdate=2007-04-10] Johnston has also worked as programme editor of "The World Today" and as a general reporter in the BBC World Service newsroom.cite web|author=BBC|url=http://www.bbc.co.uk/pressoffice/biographies/biogs/news/alan_johnston.shtml|title=Biographies - Alan Johnston BBC Gaza Correspondent|date=March 2007|accessdate=2007-04-10]

The London Press Club named Johnston as British Broadcasting Journalist of the Year at an awards ceremony held on 10 May 2007. Accepting the award for Johnston, who was spending his 60th day in captivity, his father said that while the award meant a lot, "my family ... would like Alan to stand here today himself."cite news|url=http://business.scotsman.com/media.cfm?id=729982007|title=Missing reporter is journalist of year|author=Craig Brown|publisher=The Scotsman|date=2007-05-11|accessdate=2007-05-11]

The day after he was released, Johnston was awarded a prize by Amnesty International for his radio reports on human rights in Gaza, praising him for his "commitment to telling ordinary peoples' stories."cite news|url=http://news.bbc.co.uk/2/hi/middle_east/6271732.stm|title=BBC's Johnston wins Amnesty award|date=2007-07-05|accessdate=2007-07-05|publisher=BBC News|author=Staff writer]

Kidnapping

On 12 March 2007, Johnston was kidnapped by the Army of Islam. His captivity led to many protests worldwide. Hamas put immense pressure on the Army of Islam, including (according to a senior Hamas militant) the threat to hunt them down and kill them if they didn't release Johnston. ["Time magazine" July 16, 2007 issue. p. 15] cite news|author=Tim McGirk|publisher=Time.com|url=http://www.time.com/time/magazine/article/0,9171,1640378,00.html|title=Hamas' Next Move|date=2007-07-05|accessdate=2007-08-13] On 4 July 2007, Johnston was freed. He was taken to meet Hamas leader Ismail Haniyeh before leaving with an entourage of British diplomats to Jerusalem.

Honors

On June 19, 2008, the University of Dundee conferred an honorary degree of Doctor of Laws upon Johnston.

Books

* cite book
date=November 2007
title = Kidnapped
last = Johnston
first = Alan
publisher = Profile
id = ISBN 9781846681424

References

ee also

*Durmush Hamula
*Gilad Shalit
* John McCarthy
*Yvonne Ridley
*Olaf Wiig
*Steve Centanni
*Ces Drilon
*2006 Fox journalists kidnapping

External links

* [http://news.bbc.co.uk/2/hi/middle_east/6268028.stm BBC News Profile: Alan Johnston]
* [http://news.bbc.co.uk/2/hi/middle_east/default.stm BBC News Middle East]