Alan Johnston
{{Short description|British journalist}}
{{Other people}}
{{Use dmy dates|date=October 2020}}
{{Infobox person
| name = Alan Johnston
| image =
| birth_date = {{Birth date and age|1962|5|17|df=yes}}
| birth_place = Lindi, Tanganyika
| nationality =
| education = MA in English and politics, University of Dundee.
Diploma in journalism studies Cardiff University.
| occupation = Journalist
| known_for =
| spouse = Fiona Mitchell
| parents = Graham and Margaret Johnston
| children =
}}
Alan Graham Johnston (born 17 May 1962) is a British journalist working for the BBC. He has been the BBC's correspondent in Uzbekistan, Afghanistan, the Gaza Strip and Italy. He is based in London.
Johnston was kidnapped in the Gaza Strip on 12 March 2007 by the militant group Army of Islam. He was unconditionally released on 4 July, nearly four months later, after much pressure was put on the group by the now-dominant Hamas.
Early life
Johnston was born in Lindi, Tanganyika (present-day Tanzania), to Scottish parents.{{cite news|title=The 'very grounded' journalist who won acclaim for his work in world's war zones|url=http://thescotsman.scotsman.com/international.cfm?id=580572007|archive-url=https://archive.today/20130105071216/http://thescotsman.scotsman.com/international.cfm?id=580572007|url-status=dead|archive-date=5 January 2013|author=Raymond Hainey|date=16 April 2007|access-date=11 May 2007|publisher=The Scotsman}}
Education
Johnston was educated at the Dollar Academy, an independent school in the small town of Dollar in Clackmannanshire in central Scotland,{{cite news|url=http://www.nzherald.co.nz/section/2/story.cfm?c_id=2&objectid=10433220|title=Journalist's tragic role in Gaza's deadly rivalries|author=Mitchell Prothero|work=The New Zealand Herald|date=9 April 2007|access-date=9 April 2007|archive-date=29 September 2007|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20070929133237/http://www.nzherald.co.nz/section/2/story.cfm?c_id=2&objectid=10433220|url-status=dead}} followed by the University of Dundee, where he graduated with an MA in English and politics. He also completed a diploma in Journalism Studies from Cardiff University.{{cite news|author=Staff writer|publisher=BBC News|url=http://news.bbc.co.uk/2/hi/middle_east/6442663.stm|title=Fears for BBC Gaza correspondent|date=12 March 2007|access-date=16 March 2007| archive-url= https://web.archive.org/web/20070316050357/http://news.bbc.co.uk/2/hi/middle_east/6442663.stm| archive-date= 16 March 2007 | url-status=live}}
Career
Johnston joined the BBC in 1991, and has spent eight years as a correspondent for them, including in Tashkent, Uzbekistan, as well as Kabul, Afghanistan. He was in Kabul when Afghanistan was still under the control of the Taliban.{{cite news|author=Staff writer|date=12 March 2007|title=Living with risk in Gaza|publisher=BBC News|access-date=16 March 2007|url=http://news.bbc.co.uk/2/hi/middle_east/6443667.stm| archive-url= https://web.archive.org/web/20070315190045/http://news.bbc.co.uk/2/hi/middle_east/6443667.stm| archive-date= 15 March 2007 | url-status=live}} He was due to be the BBC's full-time correspondent in Gaza until 1 April 2007, and at the time of his kidnapping was the only foreign reporter with a major Western media organisation to still be based in the city.{{cite news|author=Kevin Flower and Octavia Nasr |publisher=CNN |url=http://www.cnn.com/2007/WORLD/meast/03/12/gaza.journalist/index.html |title=BBC fears its Gaza correspondent abducted |date=12 March 2007 |access-date=16 March 2007 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20070315184544/http://www.cnn.com/2007/WORLD/meast/03/12/gaza.journalist/index.html |archive-date=15 March 2007 |url-status=dead}}{{cite news|title=Masked gunmen kidnap British reporter in Gaza City street attack |url=https://www.theguardian.com/israel/Story/0,,2032385,00.html |author=Conal Urquhart |publisher=Guardian Unlimited |date=13 March 2007 |access-date=18 March 2007 |location=London |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20070320042200/http://www.guardian.co.uk/israel/Story/0%2C%2C2032385%2C00.html |archive-date=20 March 2007 |url-status=live }}
Johnston covered many major stories in Gaza for the BBC, including Israel's unilateral disengagement plan in 2005, Hamas winning the 2006 legislative elections, the 2006 Israel-Gaza conflict and the Palestinian factional violence of late 2006 to 2007.
Johnston is highly regarded by the BBC as a respected, experienced journalist,{{cite news|url=https://www.theguardian.com/israel/Story/0,,2033392,00.html |title=Hamas government acts to free kidnapped BBC man |publisher=Guardian Unlimited |date=14 March 2007 |access-date=18 March 2007 |author=Rory McCarthy |location=London |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20070317074717/http://www.guardian.co.uk/israel/Story/0%2C%2C2033392%2C00.html |archive-date=17 March 2007 |url-status=live }} and due to his local knowledge, he was someone other journalists would turn to for information when in Gaza. Prior to being kidnapped however, Johnston was not a journalist well known to the general public. Following his release he announced his intention to return to obscurity{{cite news| url=http://news.bbc.co.uk/2/hi/middle_east/6267928.stm | work=BBC News | title=BBC's Alan Johnston is released | date=4 July 2007 | access-date=23 April 2010}} though, as of January 2008, he took over the presentation of the BBC World Service version of the programme From Our Own Correspondent.
Johnston's BBC colleague Paul Adams noted that it was Johnston's "job to bring us day after day reports of the Palestinian predicament in the Gaza Strip." Mustafa Barghouti, Palestinian Information Minister, has described Johnston as a "friend of our people", and said that Johnston "has done a lot for our cause."{{cite news|url=http://news.bbc.co.uk/2/hi/middle_east/6543773.stm|title=Broadcasters in BBC reporter plea|author=Staff writer|publisher=BBC News|date=11 April 2007|access-date=11 April 2007}} Imprisoned Fatah leader Marwan Barghouti has also called Johnston a "friend of the Palestinian people".{{cite news
|url=http://fr.jpost.com/servlet/Satellite?cid=1176152826775&pagename=JPost/JPArticle/ShowFull
|title=Barghouti calls for release of BBC journalist
|agency=Associated Press
|work=The Jerusalem Post
|date=18 April 2007
|access-date=18 April 2007
}}{{dead link|date=June 2017 |bot=InternetArchiveBot |fix-attempted=yes }}
When not working as a correspondent, Johnston produced radio reports, one of which, on life after the Taliban, won a Sony Radio Academy Award bronze.{{cite web |url=http://www.radioawards.org/winners03/win03_b2.htm |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20070928045441/http://www.radioawards.org/winners03/win03_b2.htm |title=The News Programme Award |publisher=Sony Radio Academy Awards |archive-date=28 September 2007 |access-date=10 April 2007 |url-status=dead}} Johnston has also worked as programme editor of The World Today and as a general reporter in the BBC World Service newsroom.{{cite web|author=BBC|author-link=BBC|url=http://www.bbc.co.uk/pressoffice/biographies/biogs/news/alan_johnston.shtml|title=Biographies - Alan Johnston BBC Gaza Correspondent|date=March 2007|access-date=10 April 2007}}
From November 2011 to August 2014, Johnston was the BBC correspondent in Rome. From October 2014, Johnston has stated on his Twitter account (@AlanJohnstonBBC) that he is now based in London.
The day after he was released, Johnston was awarded a prize by Amnesty International for his radio reports on human rights in Gaza, praising him for his "commitment to telling ordinary peoples' stories."{{cite news|url=http://news.bbc.co.uk/2/hi/middle_east/6271732.stm|title=BBC's Johnston wins Amnesty award|date=5 July 2007|access-date=5 July 2007|publisher=BBC News|author=Staff writer| archive-url= https://web.archive.org/web/20070711194646/http://news.bbc.co.uk/2/hi/middle_east/6271732.stm| archive-date= 11 July 2007 | url-status=live}}
Kidnapping
{{main|Kidnapping of Alan Johnston}}
On 12 March 2007, Johnston was kidnapped by the Army of Islam. His captivity led to many protests worldwide. Hamas put immense pressure on the Army of Islam, including (according to a senior Hamas militant) the threat to hunt them down and kill them if they did not release Johnston.Time magazine 16 July 2007 issue. p. 15{{cite news|author=Tim McGirk |publisher=Time |url=http://www.time.com/time/magazine/article/0,9171,1640378,00.html |title=Hamas' Next Move |date=5 July 2007 |access-date=13 August 2007 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20070710063241/http://www.time.com/time/magazine/article/0%2C9171%2C1640378%2C00.html |archive-date=10 July 2007 |url-status=dead }} On 4 July 2007, Johnston was freed. He was taken to meet Hamas leader Ismail Haniyeh before leaving for Jerusalem with an entourage of British diplomats.
Honours
On 19 June 2008, the University of Dundee conferred an honorary degree of Doctor of Laws upon Johnston.
Books
- {{cite book
|date=November 2007
| title = Kidnapped
|url=https://archive.org/details/kidnappedotherdi0000john
|url-access=registration
| last = Johnston
| first = Alan
| publisher = Profile
| isbn=978-1-84668-142-4
}}
See also
References
{{Reflist|30em}}
External links
{{Wikinews category|Alan Johnston}}
- [http://news.bbc.co.uk/2/hi/middle_east/6268028.stm BBC News Profile: Alan Johnston]
- [http://news.bbc.co.uk/2/hi/middle_east/default.stm BBC News Middle East]
{{Authority control}}
{{DEFAULTSORT:Johnston, Alan}}
Category:2010s missing person cases
Category:Alumni of Cardiff University
Category:Alumni of the University of Dundee
Category:BBC newsreaders and journalists
Category:BBC World Service presenters
Category:British people taken hostage
Category:Formerly missing British people
Category:Kidnapped British people
Category:Missing person cases in Asia