EMMA TV JOURNALIST ACHIEVEMENT
Rageh Omaar
Award Year: 2003
Since Winning the EMMA Award
Rageh Omaar is a British Somali Journalist and Writer who in 2004, published and wrote a book about his time as the BBC’s Iraq correspondent called ‘Revolution Day: The Human Story of the Battle for Iraq’, which deals with the effects of the Saddam Hussein regime, UN sanctions, and the war on Iraqi civilians. His next book ‘Only Half of Me’, was published in 2006 and is an honest and insightful glimpse into his childhood and experience growing up as a British Muslim. In September 2006, Rageh joined Al Jazeera English and was the Middle Eastern correspondent for its London division, presenting the broadcaster’s documentary series Witness on weeknights and hosting the monthly The Rageh Omaar Report.
In 2008, Rageh was presented with the Arab Media Watch Award for excellence in journalism. Regeh joined ITV News as a special correspondent in 2013. He became their International Affairs Editor in 2014 and has been a deputy newscaster of ITV News at Ten. In January 2014 and 2015, Rageh was nominated for the Services to Media Award at the British Muslim Awards. Since September 2017, Rageh has occasionally presented the ITV Lunchtime News, including the ITV News London Lunchtime Bulletin, and the ITV Evening News.
Background (Before 2002 and 2003)
Rageh Omaar is a Somali-born British-Muslim journalist who was born in Mogadishu, Somali Republic. His family is originally from Hargeisa, and his father was an accountant who later became a businessman. Rageh moved to the UK at age two, and his elder brother, Mohamed Abdullahi Omaar, was a former Foreign Minister of Somalia. Rageh began his career in journalism as a trainee for The Voice newspaper.
In 1991, Rageh moved to Ethiopia, where he freelanced as a foreign correspondent, working mainly for the BBC World Service. In 1992, Rageh returned to London to work as a producer and broadcast journalist for the BBC but moved to South Africa after being appointed as the BBC’s correspondent in Africa. Rageh became a leading TV journalist for the BBC, reporting on many war zones until 2004.
