Negar Mortazavi
Negar Mortazavi (born 1981) is an Iranian-American journalist and political analyst covering Iran in English and Persian. She is a columnist for The Independent[1] and host of the Iran Podcast.[2]
Negar Mortazavi | |
---|---|
Born | 1981 (age 39–40) Tehran, Iran |
Nationality | Iranian, American |
Alma mater | |
Occupation | Journalist, Analyst |
Career
Mortazavi worked as a TV presenter at Voice of America Persian where she hosted a daily show that discussed current affairs with Iranians.[3] She has also worked for the International Center for Journalists in Washington,[4] The National Iranian American Council (NIAC),[5] and the United Nations headquarters in New York.[5] She is a frequent commentator on Iran at MSNBC,[6] BBC,[7] PRI,[8] New York Times,[9] Aljazeera,[10] Huffington Post,[11] and other international outlets around the world. She is currently a columnist for The Independent.[1]
In 2014, she launched a kickstarter campaign to visit Brazil to cover Iran's Team Melli presence in the FIFA World Cup for her Twitter followers as a freelancer.[12] The Guardian has named her one of the top 10 people to follow on Twitter for Iran issues.[13]
In 2019 an investigation, and later a lawsuit,[14] by Mortazavi revealed funds by the United States Department of State had been used to target and smear human rights workers, activists and journalists, many of whom were US citizens.[15] “Iran Disinformation Project” was funded by the department’s Global Engagement Center, which was set up by Congress to “counter online extremism and propaganda”.[16] Subsequently, the State Department terminated support for the online project.[17][18]
Recognition
Mortazavi has been recognized as a MENA young leader in foreign policy by New America in 2020[19] and as a 2017 MENA Young Leader by Friends of Europe in Brussels, Belgium.[20]
Early life
Mortazavi was born and raised in Iran and immigrated to the United States in 2002 to continue her studies. She has a Master of Arts from Brandeis University [5] and a Bachelor of Arts from University of Massachusetts.
References
- "Author page on The Independent".
- "Iran Podcast" (Podcast).
- "VOA PNN Rooyekhat". Retrieved 2020-11-19.
- "Perspectives on the Iranian Nuclear Framework Agreement".
- NIAC Welcomes New Media and Communications Staff at the Wayback Machine (archived 2016-03-04)
- "Articles on MSNBC by Mortazavi".
- "BBC World Have Your Say: Syria "Stalemate", Rouhani's Iran & the UK Veil Debate".
- "Negar Mortazavi on Public Radio International".
- "Contributor profile on NY Times".
- "Hurdles Still Remain in Iran Nuclear Deal". Al Jazeera America. July 2015. Retrieved 2020-11-19.
- "Contributor profile on Huffington Post".
- "Tweeting the World Cup: Iranian-American shares Iran's World Cup with the world". Yahoo News. June 22, 2014. Retrieved 2020-11-19.
- Iran: top 10 people to follow on Twitter. The Guardian (Report). 20 May 2014. Retrieved 2020-11-19.
- Protect Democracy Project, Negar Mortazavi, et. al. v U.S. Department of State.Text
- "Trump administration says it has terminated support for controversial anti-Iran campaign that 'smeared US citizens'". The Independent. 2019-07-10. Retrieved 2021-01-02.
- "Trump administration cuts funding to anti-Iran group that trolls human rights activists". The Independent. 2019-06-02.
- "US terminates funds for anti-Iran Twitter feed". AP News. 2019-07-10. Retrieved 2021-01-02.
- "US cuts funds for 'anti-propaganda' Iran group that trolled activists". The Guardian. 2019-05-31.
- "2020 Middle Eastern and North African American National Security & Foreign Policy Next Generation Leaders". New America. Retrieved 2020-11-19.
- "European Young Leaders, 2017". Friends of Europe.