Iona Craig Explained

Iona Craig
Occupation:Journalist
Nationality:British-Irish
Alma Mater:City University London
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Awards:Martha Gellhorn Prize for Journalism, Orwell Prize for Journalism, George Polk Awards for Foreign Reporting

Iona Craig (born 1976) is a British-Irish freelance journalist. Since 2010 her reporting has focused on Yemen and the Arabian Peninsula.

She is the great-granddaughter of Sir James Craig, an Independent TD, and a cousin of Jeremy Craig, former Irish Ambassador to Lebanon.[1]

Career

Craig was raised in Gloucestershire, United Kingdom, and attended City University in London. Previous to her study and work as a journalist, Craig was a horse trainer and jockey.[2] She was Assistant Trainer to Champion Trainer Nicky Henderson.[3]

As a BBC intern, Craig studied Arabic, and moved to Sana’a, Yemen in 2010 to become an editor at the Yemen Times. As the Yemeni revolution began in February 2011 she left the Yemen Times to concentrate on freelance reporting including as Yemen correspondent for The Times of London. In 2014 she was the recipient of the Martha Gellhorn prize for her reporting on U.S. drone strikes in Yemen including the 12 December 2013 bombing of a wedding convoy.[4]

On 27 February 2013, Craig survived an assassination attempt when the taxi she was travelling in was ambushed and came under fire outside the Ministry of Defense headquarters in Sana'a. The taxi driver also survived. His quick thinking likely saved Craig's life.[5] [6]

The last accredited Western journalist living in the country, she left in 2014.[7] [8] Since then she has repeatedly returned to report on the Yemen civil war, human rights abuses and the country's humanitarian crisis from both sides of the frontlines for radio, print and TV.[9] [10] [11] [12] In 2017, she reported on the tragically botched United States Navy SEALs Yakla raid,[13] [14] for which she won the Foreign Reporting prize at the 2018 George Polk Awards.

Her work has appeared in The Times, The Sunday Times, The Irish Times, USA Today, Al Jazeera America, Time (magazine), Foreign Policy, Los Angeles Times, GlobalPost, Index on Censorship, The Intercept, National Geographic, The New Statesman and Vice,[7] amongst others.

Craig is also the volunteer spokesperson for the Yemen Data Project.[15]

Awards and accolades

Notes and References

  1. Web site: Jeremy Craig: Diplomat played key role for Ireland in EEC, UN and Middle East. 26 March 2016. The Irish Times. 22 January 2022.
  2. Web site: Genaro. Teresa. From Racetrack to Reporter: Yemen Freelancer Iona Craig. Forbes. 25 September 2013. 23 October 2015.
  3. Web site: Hannon. Katie. From training horses in Cork to an assassination attempt in Yemen. RTÉ. 19 January 2024. 24 July 2024.
  4. Web site: What really happened when a US drone hit a Yemeni wedding convoy? . 20 January 2014. Al Jazeera America. 23 January 2022.
  5. Web site: Irish journalist survived an assassination attempt in old Sanaa. 28 February 2013. Yemen Press. 23 July 2017.
  6. Web site: Motive unclear after Times reporter is shot at in Yemen. 5 March 2013. Press Gazette. 23 July 2017.
  7. Web site: Craig. Iona. Tis Herself. Iona Craig. 23 October 2015.
  8. Web site: Baron. Adam. I got kicked out of Yemen like a criminal. Foreignpolicy.com. Foreign Policy Magazine. 23 October 2015.
  9. Web site: Craig. Iona. Yemen's Hidden War: How the Saudi-Led Coalition Is Killing Civilians. The Intercept. First Look Media. 1 September 2015.
  10. Web site: Craig. Iona. The Agony of Saada: U.S. and Saudi Bombs Target Yemen’s Ancient Heritage. The Intercept. First Look Media. 23 July 2017. 16 November 2015.
  11. Web site: The Battle for Aden. BBC Radio 4 From Our Own Correspondent. The British Broadcasting Corporation. 23 July 2017.
  12. Web site: Snyder. Steven. A western reporter sneaks into Aden and finds a humanitarian crisis in progress. Public Radio International. 23 October 2015.
  13. Web site: Craig . Iona . 9 March 2017 . Death in al Ghayil . The Intercept . 27 March 2017 .
  14. Web site: How a freelance journalist told the real story of the U.S. Yemen raid. Warren. James. 21 March 2017. Poynter. 23 July 2017.
  15. Web site: Yemen Data Project. Yemen Data Project. 23 July 2017.
  16. Web site: Martha Gellhorn Prize for Journalism. American Media Institute. 23 October 2015.
  17. Web site: Frontline Club Awards 2014. Frontline Club. 23 July 2017.
  18. Web site: Orwell Prize for journalism 2016. Orwell Foundation. 23 July 2017.
  19. Web site: Kurt Schork Memorial Awards 2016. Kurt Schork Memorial Fund. 23 July 2017.
  20. Web site: the 2017 James Foley Medill Medal for Courage in Journalism . Medill Northwestern. 23 January 2022.
  21. Web site: Overseas Press Club of America 2018 citations. Overseas Press Club of America. 23 January 2022.

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