James Hider is NPR's new Middle East editor
In a note to newsroom staff, Didrik Schanche, Chief International Editor, made the following announcement:
James Hider Courtesy of James Hider hide caption
I am pleased to announce that veteran journalist James Hider is NPR's new Middle East editor.
James has been filling in as temporary Middle East editor since January succeeding the inimitable Larry Kaplow, who is now an editor on the National Desk's States Team working with member station journalists on critical coverage ahead of the 2024 US election.
James has worked for years in the Middle East, first as the deputy bureau chief for AFP new agency in Jerusalem during the height of the second Palestinian Intifada, then covering the US-British invasion of Iraq and the subsequent civil war there for The Times of London. In 2011, he covered the Arab Spring uprisings, first from Tahrir Square in Egypt, then from the front lines in the Libyan civil war. He has reported from almost all the countries in the region, including Yemen and Syria.
James also has covered conflict in the Balkans, Afghanistan and the Caucasus, and later served as Latin America editor for The Times.
He is the author and co-author of award-winning books on the Middle East, the oppression of the Uyghurs in China and the international disaster recovery industry. He currently lives in Washington, D.C., and writes science-fiction novels for fun.
Please join me in welcoming James to NPR.
Cheers,
D