I added you because our paths have crossed. If you'd rather not hear from me, unsubscribe below — I won't take it personally.

I promised to read every message and to answer honestly. Here are your questions and my answers.

What did you ask Gaddafi?

I honestly do not remember. My dad didn't remember either. If I have to guess, it must have been about Palestine. What I do remember is that after a four-hour speech about Israel, he did not make any sense. And I had just read Dr. Abdelwahab El-Messiri's book on the history of Zionism, and copied a lot of it into the paper I submitted to get into the conference. I credited him — not nearly enough. I was 17 and hadn't stepped into college yet. Give me a break.

Why would Mubarak lock eyes with you in that Alexandria auditorium?

I remember why. He didn't come from behind the stage. He chose to appear at the top of the hall and walk down through the audience — which is where I was, in the back, with the usual suspects of the back seats. The officials and the supporters filled the front.

The crowd didn't know what to do with it. They stayed silent through the first dozen steps. Then, mildly, they started to cheer.

I didn't. I wasn't impressed. Everyone around me rose and rushed toward him. I stayed in my seat with my legs crossed.

That's why he looked at me. In a room where everyone was standing, I was the one still sitting down.

Why did you choose a podcast as a publishing platform?

Many reasons. But one of them is that these are the conversations people still bring up when they meet me — five from 2023, all about Palestinian journalists.

Jewish Currents, On the Nose · On the Media, WNYC · Mediaite · iMEDD Lab · NPR, Weekend Edition

Why now?

A quote of mine from 2023: "Honest reporting has as much to do with honesty as Truth Social has to do with truth telling." I said it after HonestReporting scared newsrooms into parroting Israeli government accusations of terrorism against their Palestinian colleagues. One of the journalists I talked to was Anas al-Sharif, the main narrator of Gaza: Journalists Under Fire. He was killed alongside five other Palestinian journalists a year ago. That's why I published this month, on his first anniversary.

What performance issues did CPJ raise?

I challenged them to put it in writing. The cowards never did. I told them: you can't just make stuff up. There are emails. There is evidence. There still are.

This is what I hoped would happen when I published it — that the questions would make it better. So keep them coming. What else do you want to know?

You gave me feedback. I promise more energy and livelier discussions, starting with the next episode.

Email me: sherif@JanoubGroup.com

You gave me encouragement. Posting it here so others give it a try.

حلو قوي قوي قوي يا شريف .. لسه في النص .. بس رائع .. استمر وبالتوفيق

حلوة قوي يا شريف ماشاء الله

Inshallah this podcast reaches a large audience. Don't stop.

I enjoyed it. Looking for more.

Very inspiring, Sherif.

I think I would be biased — you're the best narrator ever!

Listen now — 30 minutes

Like, share, subscribe — and become a fan:

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Season One begins in September, in Sudan.

Sherif