Nancy Youssef

Born to Egyptian parents, Nancy Youssef is a first-generation American, raised in Washington, D.C. She is fluent in Arabic, a skill that has greatly contributed to her ability to report extensively from the Middle East. Youssef graduated with a bachelor's degree in economics from the University of Virginia. She later pursued postgraduate studies at the Johns Hopkins University School of Advanced International Studies.{{cite web |url=http://www.mcclatchydc.com/nancy-youssef/ |title=McClatchy Correspondents, Nancy Youseff |accessdate=2012-04-09 |url-status=dead |archiveurl=https://web.archive.org/web/20120403031708/http://www.mcclatchydc.com/nancy-youssef/ |archivedate=2012-04-03 }} Youssef holds a master's degree in security studies from Georgetown University’s Edmund A. Walsh School of Foreign Service, further deepening her expertise in global security and international relations.{{Cite web |date=2018-09-25 |title=Lyman Lecture on International Studies: Nancy A. Youssef of The Wall Street Journal |url=https://www.owu.edu/calendars/details/lyman-lecture-on-international-studies-nancy-a-youssef-of-the-wall-street-journal/2018-09-25/?.com |access-date=2024-12-26 |website=Ohio Wesleyan University |language=en}}{{Cite web|title=Journalist Nancy Youssef on the War in Afghanistan|url=https://billmoyers.com/content/journalist-nancy-youssef-on-the-war-in-afghanistan/|access-date=2022-01-13|website=BillMoyers.com|language=en-US}}

Youssef began her journalism career at The Baltimore Sun,{{cite web |url=http://halifaxtheforum.org/2011-forum/speakers-2/ |title=Speakers |accessdate=2012-04-09 |url-status=dead |archiveurl=https://web.archive.org/web/20120324110616/http://halifaxtheforum.org/2011-forum/speakers-2/ |archivedate=2012-03-24 }} before moving to the Detroit Free Press, where she covered legal issues and international conflict. Her pivotal reporting on the Iraq War for Knight Ridder[https://www.linkedin.com/pub/nancy-youssef/0/976/a1b LinkedIn profile for Nancy Youssef operating from Detroit][https://www.linkedin.com/profile/view?id=2396471 LinkedIn profile for Nancy Youssef operating from Detroit] involved traveling across Jordan and Iraq, providing extensive on-the-ground coverage from the conflict's outset through the post-war period.{{Cite web|title=Journalist Nancy Youssef on the War in Afghanistan|url=https://billmoyers.com/content/journalist-nancy-youssef-on-the-war-in-afghanistan/|access-date=2022-01-13|website=BillMoyers.com|language=en-US}}

In 2005, Youssef joined McClatchy Newspapers as part of the Washington Bureau,{{Cite web|title=Journalist Nancy Youssef on the War in Afghanistan|url=https://billmoyers.com/content/journalist-nancy-youssef-on-the-war-in-afghanistan/|access-date=2022-01-13|website=BillMoyers.com|language=en-US}} where she would go on to serve as the chief of the Baghdad Bureau during the Iraq War. Her reporting focused on the impact of U.S. military strategy on the Iraqi people, addressing issues like civilian casualties and the broader social and political dynamics of Iraq.

Youssef’s role at McClatchy also included serving as chief Pentagon correspondent, covering U.S. military operations in both Iraq and Afghanistan. She was also president of the Pentagon Press Association.[https://blogs.wsj.com/washwire/2011/08/08/pentagon-no-coverage-of-dover-ceremony-for-30-killed-in-afghanistan/ Barnes J.E. "Pentagon: No Coverage of Dover Ceremony for 30 Killed in Afghanistan", Wall Street Journal, Aug 8, 2011] Additionally, Youssef worked as Middle East bureau chief at McClatchy and reported on significant events, including the 2011 Egyptian Revolution.{{Cite web|date=2014-11-26|title=McClatchy's Nancy Youssef Joins The Daily Beast|url=https://www.huffpost.com/entry/nancy-youssef_n_6219812|access-date=2022-01-13|website=HuffPost|language=en}}

In 2014, Youssef transitioned to The Daily Beast as senior defense and national security correspondent, later moving to BuzzFeed News in 2017, continuing her coverage of military affairs and global security.{{cite news |last=Sterne |first=Peter |date=2016-12-09 |title=Buzzfeed News adds Pulitzer winner, top Pentagon correspondent |url=https://www.politico.com/media/story/2016/12/buzzfeed-news-adds-pulitzer-winner-top-pentagon-correspondent-004884/ |newspaper=Politico |access-date=2017-02-10}} From 2021 to 2025, Youssef has been a national security correspondent for The Wall Street Journal, where she focuses on military operations and defense policy. On June 18, 2025, Youssef was hired by The Atlantic as a staff writer, effective July 7, 2025.{{Cite press release |title=The Atlantic Announces Staff Writers Quinta Jurecic, Toluse Olorunnipa, and Nancy Youssef |date=2025-06-19 |publisher=The Atlantic |url=https://www.theatlantic.com/press-releases/archive/2025/06/atlantic-hires-jurecic-olorunnipa-and-youssef/683229/}}

Throughout her career, Youssef’s work has earned her several accolades, including the John S. Knight Fellowship for Professional Journalists (2007–2008), the Alfred I. duPont-Columbia University Award for excellence in journalism (2010), and recognition from the University of Virginia and the Maryland-D.C. Delaware Press Association.

Youssef’s conversation with Shane Harris on the Lawfare Podcast highlights the risks faced by journalists working in conflict zones.{{Cite web |title=The Chatter Podcast: Reporting from the Front Lines with Nancy Youssef |url=https://www.lawfaremedia.org/article/chatter-podcast-reporting-front-lines-nancy-youssef |access-date=2024-12-26 |website=Default |date=4 May 2023 |language=en |last1=Priess |first1=David |last2=Harris |first2=Shane |last3=Youssef |first3=Nancy }} She discussed the case of Evan Gershkovich, a colleague arrested in Russia on charges of espionage that have been denied by his family, employer, and the U.S. government. As someone who has seen fellow journalists taken prisoner amid conflict, Youssef shared her thoughts on the dangers journalists face, in war zones and from governments that see information as a weapon. Her work also includes covering the disappearance of Austin Tice, a journalist and friend of Youssef's, who went missing in Syria in 2012. Youssef’s advocacy underscores the risks that journalists face while reporting from volatile regions.

{{reflist}}

• [https://www.wsj.com/news/author/nancy-a-youssef List of articles written by Youssef] for the Wall Street Journal
• [https://web.archive.org/web/20141012202340/http://www.pbs.org/weta/washingtonweek/profile/nancy-youssef Profile for Nancy Youssef] at PBS
• {{C-SPAN|1021691}}

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Category:Year of birth missing (living people)

Category:Living people

Category:American newspaper reporters and correspondents

Category:American women journalists

Category:American people of Egyptian descent

Category:Journalists from Washington, D.C.

Category:University of Virginia alumni

Category:Johns Hopkins University alumni

Category:Walsh School of Foreign Service alumni

Category:21st-century American women