CAIRO: In one of her news reports, CNN’s Hala Gorani learned to stuff pigeons. As it took 14 takes to get the right shot, Gorani eventually got “pretty good at it. Another time, she learned all about Aleppoan food, the best culinary offerings of her hometown.
It’s not just cooking though; “Inside the Middle East, the monthly program Gorani hosts at CNN, covers a variety of cultural experiences that represent the region – Gorani was in Cairo last week working on a report about the jazz scene in the country. While many would demand a venue to voice their political views, Gorani explains that giving a human-interest overview of the residents of this controversial part of the world makes viewers relate to the subjects of her stories.
“It’s very difficult to be a racist or have preconceived notions about somebody’s entire ethnic group if you are able to relate [with the person] . I frankly think that that type of story is just as important as the political story, she adds.
Food in particular is another aspect, which in Gorani’s opinion deserves coverage, “because it humanizes people. As she enthusiastically explains the importance of food in this part of the world – citing times when she was surprised how food-related debates consumed effort and time – she says people living in the Middle East love to watch their regional counterparts cook and talk about food.
She stresses, however, that her job is to report and not to bridge gaps or promote cultural understanding. “But at the same time if that is the by-product of what we do, then that’s wonderful.
Gorani’s work is not limited to hosting “Inside the Middle East; she is an Atlanta-based World News anchor. Since she joined the American network in 1998, she has worked on a variety of programs including CNN International European news and CNN Today. In the course of her job, she has interviewed renowned figures in different fields: Arab League Secretary General Amr Moussa, Palestinian negotiator Saeb Erakat, fashion designers Miucca Prada and Donaltella Versace and boxing champ Evander Holyfield.
Her job has also taken her around the world covering stories including the annual pilgrimage in Saudi Arabia (she questions the reason behind assigning “escorts to filming crews in Saudi Arabia and in other Arab countries including Egypt) and the French elections.
Europe also witnessed the career start of the once London-based reporter. Making her debut in print journalism, Gorani first wrote for the daily La voix du Nord and Agence France Presse. She then moved to TV and worked for the Franc 3 and the French cable network Paris Premier. Before she joined CNN, she worked for Bloomberg Television in London.
With her coverage of the war on Iraq in 2003, Gorani’s interests changed. “I really started focusing more on the Middle East and understanding the Middle East more, she says. “Inside the Middle East made its debut the same year as the world’s attention was drawn to the region and Gorani, the business reporter, got interested in exploring its culture. Her favorite genre, she says, is human-interest stories whether political, social or cultural.
Sometimes all of these aspects are combined in one news story. While she was in Jordan last year, working on one of her stories, a terrorist attack took the capital by surprise. “We were sitting in a hotel lobby when we got a call that three hotel lobbies had been bombed, she says.
The immediacy of the event and the associated adrenaline rush, its political impact and the importance of the human-interest stories involved, made the report one of her most memorable experiences.
“Covering this type of things isn’t normally what I do. I’m not a conflict reporter. So, it’s not like I am sitting in Baghdad and I am used to seeing these things, she says, “For me, it had an impact . When you go and you see the bombing site and the blood, and it gives you a completely different understanding of the event.
