Blog
Afghanistan after nearly three years away
For me Afghanistan is the people, the friends I have known for decades, and others I meet on the street, who smile, ask if they can help, put their hand to their heart to greet you.
Returning to Kabul after nearly three years was like coming home. Immediately the essence of Afghanistan emerged. At passport control, a smile, a hand to the heart and Salam-o-Alakum. The same from the bearded gentleman behind the counter that collects information from foreigners entering the country.…READ ON SUBSTACK
On Being Canadian: From Timmins to Afghanistan, More than Not Being American
On the frontlines of conflict, where I have spent much of my career, regardless of the war I was covering or with which side I was speaking, being Canadian has been an advantage. Our nationality carries little baggage. Having never been a superpower, we’ve had less power to abuse. We’re generally seen by the belligerents who make war zones war zones as non-threatening.
I recall one meeting with Nasser al-Bahri, Osama Bin Laden’s bodyguard. I had tracked him down to learn more about bin Laden’s last and youngest wife, who was from Yemen.…READ MORE
Presence of militant groups on Afghan soil poses significant challenge to regional security, says veteran journalist
Veteran journalist and news director of the Associated Press for Afghanistan and Pakistan, Kathy Gannon on Friday said that the presence of various militant groups on Afghan soil posed a significant challenge to regional security.
Speaking at an event titled “Geopolitical Shifts and Security Challenges: Pakistan, Afghanistan, and the Regional Power Play” organised by the Institute of Regional Studies (IRS) in Islamabad, Gannon — who in 2014 was attacked and wounded while reporting from Afghanistan — said, “While Afghanistan might not want all the militant groups on its territory nor did Kabul invite them all, but they were still there.”…READ MORE
Reporting from Pakistan: “Our job is not to cheerlead for the West, our job is to try to understand”
My guest today is Kathy Gannon, who reported for the Associated Press for 35 years, covering Afghanistan and Pakistan as chief correspondent and later news director. Gannon was the only Western journalist allowed in Kabul before the 2001 U.S.-British offensive. She also covered the Iraq War, the 2006 Lebanon War, and the Central Asian States.
In 2014, Gannon was critically injured while covering Afghan election preparations when an Afghan police officer opened fire on her car.…READ MORE
University of Western Ontario Asper Fellow 2025, Past Shorenstein Fellow, Harvard University
The Faculty of Information and Media Studies (FIMS) is pleased to announce that Kathy Gannon, award-winning Canadian journalist, author and former news director of the Associated Press for Afghanistan and Pakistan, has been named the Winter 2025 FIMS Asper Fellow in Media.
Gannon will be teaching a graduate-level course during the Winter 2025 term titled “International News, Independent Media: Illusion or Reality?” The course will use international news, specifically coverage of conflicts like the ongoing Israel/Gaza war, to examine how deeply independent reporting has been compromised and what the ramifications might be.…READ MORE
Announcing the 2024 CFWIJ Kathy Gannon Legacy Awards
As Leila Molana Allen and Saima Mohsin receive the 2024 Kathy Gannon Legacy Awards in London, they remind us of women journalists worldwide who continue to pursue truth and often contribute more to journalism than the stories they tell.
CFWIJ is proud to support and honor both winners.
Through the awards, CFWIJ reaffirms its commitment to Kathy Gannon’s values, encouraging a new generation of journalists to carry her legacy forward. We look forward to celebrating these courageous women and the power of journalism at the Rory Peck Awards in London on November 28.…READ MORE