P&P Live! Muhammad Najem, Nora Neus, & Julie Robine

Muhammad Najem had mostly known a life of war during his childhood in Syria; he was only thirteen when a bombing killed his father. Realizing that people did not know what families like his were living through, he began reporting on the war using the camera on his phone and social media. Through interviews with kids like himself, he revealed a painful truth: that ordinary Syrians were being bombed by their own government and were spending their days hiding in underground shelters. Despite strong personal losses and tremendous risk for his family, he continued reporting, and his stories began to gain notice around the world. Muhammad Najem, War Reporter: How One Boy Put the Spotlight on Syria is the graphic memoir written by Muhammad Najem and Nora Neus, the CNN producer who helped bring international recognition to his reporting.

Muhammad Najem is an internationally recognized journalist from Eastern Ghouta, Syria. He began his reporting career as a child, under near-constant bombardment by the Assad regime, by taking videos on his cell phone and posting them on social media. His story went viral in 2018, putting a target on his and his family’s backs. In 2019, he and his family fled Syria and moved to Turkey.