Hello.
I’m currently a freelance journalist and a writer. I started my career in 2011 in Beirut and have since lived in DC, Milan and Paris.
These days, I’m splitting my time between the 18e arrondissement in Paris and Beirut. The closest concept I have to a home is with Carine, my partner. The second closest thing would be a place and that place is Ras Beirut. But Paris has grown on me since we moved here in 2019. I’m mostly covering stories from the Middle East & Europe related to the environment, migration, human rights, identity and sometimes (hesitantly) sport.
In 2022, I was a finalist for the Samir Kassir Press Freedom award. I found Kassir’s work after his death but his writings have become influential to me and I often revisit his book Being Arab. He was (and still is) an intellectual giant whose shoulders all Arab journalists continue to stand on. I hope to continue his battle for human rights, democracy and social justice for the rest of my career and personal life.
In the last year, I’ve reported stories from Lebanon, Iraq, Kuwait, and France. Other countries I’ve reported from include Turkey, Egypt, Jordan, Italy, and the United States.
That’s a short professional biography. I’ve grown to love the challenge of writing (which wasn’t always the case) but I still detest writing biographies. I love stories though - telling stories, listening to stories, sharing stories with groups - so if you’d like to get together and share stories (or thoughts, theories, ideas) over a coffee or some other kind of drink, please reach out!
I’m on Twitter, Bluesky and Instagram @JustinSalhani & my other contact info is available on the contact page.