Sam Husseini

Sam Husseini
Born Osama Husseini
1966
Nationality American
Occupation Writer, activist
Years active 1990–present

Sam Husseini is an American writer and political activist. He is the communications director of the Institute for Public Accuracy, a D.C.-based nonprofit group that promotes progressive experts as alternative sources for mainstream media reporters. He formerly worked at the American-Arab Anti-Discrimination Committee and at the media watch group Fairness and Accuracy in Reporting. Husseini has written articles for a variety of publications, including CounterPunch, The Nation, The Washington Post, USA Today and Salon.

Early life

Husseini was born as Osama Husseini in 1966 to a Palestinian Christian father from Tiberias, and a Jordanian Christian mother. His parents immigrated to the United States when he was five years old. Husseini grew up in Queens in New York City. He became a US citizen in 1984.[1]

Husseini is a graduate of Carnegie Mellon University, where he earned a double bachelor's degree in applied mathematics and logic and computation.

Career

After graduating, Husseini worked as a programmer and a math teacher. He then began working for Fairness and Accuracy in Reporting (FAIR) where he was the Middle East expert. After the 1993 World Trade Center bombing, he was in charge of monitoring news media for evidence of anti-Arab and anti-Muslim bias.[1]

After leaving FAIR, he became the communications director for the Institute for Public Accuracy, a position that he has held since 1997.

In 2000, he founded the webpage VotePact.org which encourages disenchanted Democrats to pair up with disenchanted Republicans and vote for third parties and independent candidates.

In 2006, Husseini founded the webpage WashingtonStakeout.com which features him pointedly questioning political figures as they leave Sunday morning talk shows.

In 2011, the executive director of the National Press Club suspended Husseini for asking questions of the Saudi ambassador to the US which some thought were "loaded statements." The Club's ethics committee lifted the suspension. Husseini asked Prince Turki al-Faisal, the former head of Saudi intelligence,

I want to know what legitimacy your regime has sir. You come before us, representative of one of the most autocratic, misogynistic regimes on the face of the earth. Human Rights Watch and other reports of torture detention of activist, you squelched the democratic uprising in Bahrain, you tried to overturn the democratic uprising in Egypt and indeed you continue to oppress your own people.[2][3]

In 2018, he was removed from the 2018 Russia–United States summit press conference, prior to Trump and Putin’s arrival in the room, when he held a sign saying, "Nuclear Weapon Ban Treaty," which the Russian authorities called a "malicious item".[4]

Writing

Husseini has written about U.S. media coverage of the Arab–Israeli conflict In 1994, he suggested that General Electric's many felony convictions should make the corporation ineligible to hold broadcast licenses.

Husseini wrote the article "Follow the Policy: Why So Long for Iraq to Comply?" shortly before the invasion of Iraq. The piece purported to explain why Iraq had not complied with the United Nations' disarmament demands.[5]

References

  1. 1 2 "Arab-Americans resent abuse because of bombing suspects". New York Daily News. The Baltimore Sun. March 12, 1993.
  2. ↑ National Press Club withdraws suspension, By DYLAN BYERS, Politico, 11/27/2011
  3. ↑ National Press Club suspends journalist for asking Saudi prince a tough question, Ali Abunimah, Electronic Intifada, 18 November 2011
  4. ↑ Gillian Brassil; Tucker Higgins (July 16, 2018). "Op-Ed reporter for The Nation forcibly removed from Trump-Putin presser". CNBC.
  5. ↑ http://www.counterpunch.org/2003/03/08/follow-the-policy/
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