Personal Info
- Country of residence: Palestine
Information
Mohammed Omer (born 1984) is a Palestinian journalist. He has reported for numerous media outlets, including: the Washington Report on Middle East Affairs, Al Jazeera; New Statesman; Pacifica Radio; Electronic Intifada; The Nation; Inter Press Service; Free Speech Radio News; Vermont Guardian; ArtVoice Weekly; the Norwegian Morgenbladet; and Dagsavisen; the Swedish dailies Dagen Nyheter; and Aftonbladet; the Swedish magazine Arbetaren; the Basque daily Berria; and the German daily Junge Welt; and the Finish magazine Ny Tid. He also founded the Rafah Today blog.
In 2008, Omer was awarded the 2007 Martha Gellhorn Prize for Journalism. In the award citation, Omer was honored as "the voice of the voiceless" and his reports were described as an "humane record of the injustice imposed on a community forgotten by much of the world.". Noam Chomsky said he had been following Omer's work for several years, and was pleased to learn of his award, "an honor that he richly deserves." He went on, he "...has continued his work with courage and integrity. It is no exaggeration to say that he can serve as a model of honorable journalism,". He was also awarded the Ossietzky Prize by Norwegian P.E.N in 2009. Norwegian P.E.N is a branch of P.E.N International. The Prize was awarded for "outstanding achievements within the field of free expression". He was also given an honorable mention in Pulse Media's 20 Top Global Media Figures of 2009.
“Best Youth Voice” (2006).
Martha Gellhorn Prize for Journalism (2008)
Ossietzky Prize (2009)
Press Freedom Prize (2009)
Ranked 398 by Arabian Business Power 500 2013
Omer was raised in the Rafah refugee camp at the southern end of the Gaza Strip near the Egyptian border. Mohammed began working to support his family at age six when his father was in an Israeli prison. In time, he landed a job at a backpack factory and since then has built an impressive resume as a translator, journalist, and program coordinator."
Mohammed graduated with dual Bachelor degrees, English and Literature, from the Islamic University of Gaza in June 2006.
Source Achievements and Awards
- Years in active
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