Gaza-Based Journalist Tied to PFLP Terrorist Group Wins Emmy Award for Coverage of Israel-Hamas War
by Shiryn Ghermezian
Bisan Owda in a scene from “It’s Bisan From Gaza and I’m Still Alive.” Photo: YouTube screenshot
A documentary led by a Palestinian journalist and filmmaker who has ties to the US-designated terrorist organization The Popular Front for the Liberation of Palestine (PFLP) won an award at the 2024 News and Documentary Emmys on Wednesday night in New York City.
“It’s Bisan From Gaza and I’m Still Alive” from reporter Bisan Owda, 25, and the Qatari-owned media outlet AJ+ won in the category of outstanding hard news feature story: short form. The eight-minute segment features Owda as she reports live from the Gaza Strip and documents with her cellphone Palestinian struggles during the ongoing Israel-Hamas war. Other nominees in the category included short form news feature stories from PBS, CNN, The Guardian and The New York Times.
Jon Lawrence, senior executive producer of “It’s Bisan From Gaza and I’m Still Alive,” accepted the award on Wednesday night at the Emmys ceremony and praised Owda in his acceptance speech. “This award is testimony to the power of one woman only with an iPhone who survived almost a year of bombardment,” he said.
It was revealed in late July that Owda attended and spoke at PFLP rallies, and hosted events honoring Palestinians fighting Israeli soldiers. The PFLP referred to Owda as a member of the group’s Progressive Youth Union in 2018. Owda also often posts anti-Israel messages on social media, such as accusing the country of genocide and occupation and referring to lsrael as “IsraHell.” She has similarly advocated for violence against Israel and wrote on Instagram “Long live our martyrs.”
In mid-August, more than 150 prominent members of the entertainment industry urged the National Academy of Television Arts & Sciences (NATAS) to revoke Owda’s Emmy nomination because of her affiliation to the PFLP, but to no avail. The PFLP is a designed terrorist organization by the US, EU, Canada and Israel. PFLP terrorists participated in the Oct. 7 deadly Hamas-led terrorist attacks in Israel and reportedly held Israeli hostages in Gaza who were taken captive that day.
In June, Owda won a Peabody Award for “It’s Bisan From Gaza and I’m Still Alive” and dedicated her award to anti-Israel college students protesting on their campuses and those who support a boycott of Israel.
