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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There's now limited reconstruction in the territory that was badly damaged in the 2014 war with Israel. But it's very uneven, depending on factors like whether money comes from Qatar or Kuwait. -
The rival positions are so entrenched that change can seem impossible. NPR Jerusalem correspondent Emily Harris talks to two Israelis and two Palestinians who explain why they changed their thinking. -
A Palestinian woman talks about going out on a limb years ago to work with left-wing Israelis on co-existence — an effort that ended in disappointment.
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Bassam Aramin grew up hating Israel and spent years in prison. Yet he's now a voice for peace, a position that did not change even when his daughter was killed by Israeli police. -
Gazans are increasingly taking on the Hamas government via social media, pressing for improved living conditions and increased cooperation with its Palestinian rival, Fatah. -
A hiker in Israel found a gold coin so rare that Israeli archaeologists say there's only one other with the same symbols known in the world. -
The latest Palestinian stabbing attacks on Israelis are getting increased public and political attention.
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A history of transphobia in Hollywood, an eye-opening look at the way the Dead Sea is dying, and an examination of evictions in America's poor communities. -
A fence is often thought of as something that provides protection. But even amid recent attacks on Israeli settlements in the West Bank, not all Israelis support more fencing. -
Israel has made a deal to create an area at Judaism's holiest site where women and men can pray together. But some say creating a government-supported egalitarian prayer space undermines unity.
