Mellissa Fung

Last updated
Mellissa Fung
OC
Born1972/1973
Education University of British Columbia, Columbia University
OccupationJournalist
Notable credit CBC News
Spouse Paul Workman
FamilyKellog (father), Joyce (mother)

Mellissa Veronica Fung OC is a Canadian journalist with CBC News, appearing regularly as a field correspondent on The National .

Contents

Education and career

Fung and her younger sister [1] are the daughters of Kellog and Joyce Fung. [2] She was born in Hong Kong, [3] and her family moved to Vancouver when she was four years old. [1] There, she attended an all-girls Catholic high school, [1] then completed a Bachelor of Arts at the University of British Columbia where she contributed regularly to the student-run newspaper The Ubyssey . [4] After graduating in 1994, she earned a master's degree from Columbia School of Journalism in 1995. From February 2001 to 2003 she reported for CBC-TV News in Vancouver. Since December 2003, she has served as a national reporter for CBC Television, working out of Toronto and Regina. [4]

In her time as a national correspondent she has covered numerous topics on both Canadian and world affairs, including the Robert Pickton trial, the 2003 SARS outbreak in Canada, the trial of Mike Danton, the 2007 Saskatchewan provincial election, 2008 Summer Olympics in Beijing and uncovering Canada's international sales of toxic asbestos. In 2007 and 2008 she was sent on assignment to Afghanistan to cover the Canadian military presence there.

2008 kidnapping

In late 2008, Fung was sent on her second assignment to Afghanistan, based out of the Canadian military base at Kandahar. [2]

On October 12, while en route to a refugee camp near Kabul, she was kidnapped by armed men. Fung alerted her employer using her mobile phone and stated that the kidnappers were not Taliban but "bandits". [2] Her translator and driver—two Afghan brothers named Shokoor Feroz and Qaem Feroz—were beaten and left behind by the kidnappers. Before her captors abandoned her for the last week, she was blindfolded and chained to the inside of a tiny, dark cave. Zabiullah Mujahid, a Taliban spokesman in the eastern part of the county, told The Canadian Press that another Islamist group called Hizb-e-Islami was responsible for the abduction. [5] They were later implicated by Afghan authorities in the kidnapping and detained, [4] though CBC publisher John D. Cruickshank expressed confidence in them and stated that they were worried about their conditions in prison. [6]

The kidnapping occurred two days before the 2008 Canadian federal election, and CBC requested a press blackout while negotiations were conducted with the kidnappers, out of concern that widespread media coverage would complicate matters. [7] Though the incident was covered in Afghan press, [8] the blackout was honoured by all Canadian media and Fung's kidnapping remained generally unknown within Canada.

Fung was finally released on November 8, 2008, after weeks of negotiations. [9] A spokesman for the governor of Wardak Province indicated that local tribal elders and provincial council members negotiated Fung's release and that no ransom was paid. [10] However, it was later revealed that Afghan intelligence determined the identity of the kidnapper, abducted his family, then demanded Fung be released in a prisoner exchange. [11]

On November 12, 2008, she was interviewed about her kidnapping by CBC Radio's Anna Maria Tremonti, in Dubai. [12] The interview later earned Tremonti and Fung a gold medal at the 2009 New York Festivals Radio Programming and Promotion Awards. [13]

Fung wrote the book Under an Afghan Sky about her experiences. During an interview with a columnist from The Globe and Mail, she said "I thought it might be cathartic...But it wasn’t." [1] On May 5, 2011, Fung was interviewed by CBC radio and CBC TV to talk about her experience and her book. [14] [15]

In 2021 Fung released the documentary film Captive , which linked her abduction experience to those of three Nigerian women who had been abducted by Boko Haram. [16] The film received a Canadian Screen Award nomination for Best Feature Length Documentary at the 10th Canadian Screen Awards in 2022. [17]

Fung was appointed to the Order of Canada in 2024. She currently lives in London, England [18]

See also

Related Research Articles

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Christie Blatchford</span> Canadian journalist

Christie Marie Blatchford was a Canadian newspaper columnist, journalist and broadcaster. She published four non-fiction books.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Anna Maria Tremonti</span> Canadian radio and television journalist (born 1957)

Anna Maria Tremonti is a Canadian radio and television journalist who has been featured on a variety of radio and television programs on the CBC.

JihadUnspun.com was a Canadian news website. It was launched on April 21, 2002, and had a stated aim to present uncensored reporting of the United States' "war on terrorism" on a global scale and reporting also news from several jihad groups. Its articles were often highly critical of American foreign policy and military interventions in especially Muslim countries. It was claimed by its critics to be a hate-ridden supremacist website.

Media blackout is the censorship of news related to a certain topic, particularly in mass media, for any reason. A media blackout may be voluntary, or may in some countries be enforced by the government or state. The latter case is controversial in peacetime, as some regard it as a human rights violation and repression of free speech. Press blackout is a similar phrase, but refers specifically to printed media.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Lisa LaFlamme</span> Canadian television journalist (born 1964)

Lisa LaFlamme is a Canadian television journalist, and formerly the chief anchor and senior editor of CTV National News. She replaced Lloyd Robertson in this role on September 5, 2011. LaFlamme previously served as the news international affairs correspondent and substitute host for CTV National News. In August 2022, CTV announced it was ending her contract, due to a "business decision" to take the programme in a "different direction", ultimately replacing her with Omar Sachedina. LaFlamme spoke out publicly regarding her dismissal, and went viral on social media when she claimed she was "blindsided" by the decision.

Gabriele Torsello is an Italian freelance journalist and photojournalist based in London who was abducted in Helmand Province, Afghanistan on 12 October 2006. Kosovar businessman Behgjet Pacolli played a major role in negotiating Torsello's release on 3 November 2006. Torsello is a Muslim convert, and author of The Heart of Kashmir.

Alan Graham Johnston is a British journalist working for the BBC. He has been the BBC's correspondent in Uzbekistan, Afghanistan, the Gaza Strip and Italy. He is based in London.

Events from the year 2007 in Afghanistan.

Kidnapping and hostage taking has become a common occurrence in Afghanistan following the U.S. invasion of Afghanistan in 2001. Kidnappers include Taliban and Al-Qaeda fighters and common criminal elements.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Amanda Lindhout</span> Journalist and humanitarian

Amanda Lindhout is a Canadian humanitarian, public speaker and journalist. On August 23, 2008, she and members of her entourage were kidnapped by Islamist insurgents in southern Somalia. She was released 15 months later on November 25, 2009, and has since embarked on a philanthropic career. In 2013, she released the book, A House in the Sky: A Memoir, in which she recounts her early life, travels as a young adult, and hostage experience. In 2014, the book was optioned to become a major motion picture by Megan Ellison, with Rooney Mara playing the role of Lindhout.

David Stephenson Rohde, a journalist for The New York Times, and two associates were kidnapped by members of the Taliban in November 2008. Rohde was in Afghanistan doing research for a book. After being held captive for eight months, in June 2009, Rohde and one of his associates escaped and made their way to safety.

Sultan Mohammad Munadi was an Afghan journalist, reporter, production manager and translator. He worked for the International Red Crescent, The New York Times and Afghan state radio at various times during his career in journalism. Munadi was killed by friendly fire on 9 September 2009 in a British Special Boat Service special forces raid meant to rescue Stephen Farrell and Munadi, who were both captured by Taliban forces near Kunduz four days earlier.

Beverly Anne Giesbrecht was a western convert to Islam who created the controversial website Jihad Unspun. Giesbrecht was a media consultant and website designer, prior to her conversion and her creation of Jihad Unspun. She is reported to have become interested in Islam following al Qaeda's attacks on September 11, 2001.

This is a list of known foreign hostages in Pakistan.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Deborah Lyons</span> Canadian diplomat

Deborah Lyons is a Canadian diplomat. She served as Special Representative of the Secretary-General of the United Nations for Afghanistan and Head of the United Nations Assistance Mission in Afghanistan (UNAMA) during 2020 to 2022. Prior to her United Nations posting, she was Canada's ambassador to Israel (2016–2020) and to the Islamic Republic of Afghanistan (2013–2016). In October 2023, she was appointed by Prime Minister Justin Trudeau to replace Irwin Cotler as Canada's Special Envoy on Holocaust Remembrance and Combating Antisemitism.

Colin Mackenzie Rutherford is a Canadian who was held captive by the Taliban. In October 2010 Rutherford traveled to Afghanistan to pursue an interest in the country's ancient civilizations. Police informed his family he had been captured on November 4, 2010. The Taliban made a video of Rutherford public in May 2011.

Laura Lynch is a Canadian television and radio journalist for CBC News, who hosts CBC Radio’s weekly show What on Earth. Previously, she was a frequent guest host of CBC Radio's daily morning news program The Current.

Selsela Alikhil, also spelled Silsila Alikhel, is the daughter of an Afghan envoy, Najibullah Alikhil. She was kidnapped on 16 July 2021 at 1.45pm in Islamabad, Pakistan, where her father was serving as the ambassador of Afghanistan.

Captive, also known as Fursuna in some releases, is a Canadian documentary film, directed by Mellissa Fung and released in 2021. The film documents the stories of three young Nigerian women who were abducted and held captive by Boko Haram, linking their experiences in part to her own past experience having been abducted by armed bandits in 2008 while covering the War in Afghanistan.

Zahra Joya is an Afghan journalist. She is the founder of Rukhshana Media, an outlet in Persian and English which she runs from exile.

References

  1. 1 2 3 4 Hampson, Sarah (11 May 2011). "How Mellissa Fung survived 28 days of captivity in Afghanistan". The Globe and Mail . Retrieved 2011-05-13.
  2. 1 2 3 "Abducted CBC journalist released in Afghanistan". CBC News. Associated Press. November 8, 2008. Retrieved 2008-11-08.
  3. CBC News - The National - Mellissa Fung
  4. 1 2 3 Hunter, Stuart (November 8, 2008). "CBC reporter from Vancouver rescued from Afghan captors". The Province. Archived from the original on November 5, 2012. Retrieved 2008-11-08.
  5. "Freed reporter opens up about Afghan kidnapping". CTV.ca. 2008-11-09. Retrieved 2010-04-23.
  6. Smith, Graeme (10 November 2008). "Taliban say hostage was theirs". The Globe and Mail. Retrieved 2008-11-10.[ dead link ]
  7. MacCharles, Tonda (November 8, 2008). "CBC reporter freed in Afghanistan". Torstar News Service. Retrieved 2008-11-08.
  8. "Canadian Journalist kidnapped in Kabul". Bakhtar News Agency. October 13, 2008. Archived from the original on December 29, 2008. Retrieved 2008-11-08.
  9. Smith, Graeme (November 8, 2008). "Canadian journalist safe after secret Afghan kidnapping ordeal". The Globe and Mail. Archived from the original on November 9, 2008. Retrieved 2008-11-08.
  10. "Canadian TV reporter abducted in Kabul freed". Sunbeam Television Corp. Associated Press. 2008. Archived from the original on May 24, 2011. Retrieved November 9, 2008.
  11. "Canadian journalist fingers criminal family in her abduction". AFP. Archived from the original on 2012-09-30. Retrieved 2008-11-13.
  12. "The National - Interview with Mellissa Fung". CBC News . Retrieved 2008-11-13.
  13. "CBC's Mellissa Fung interview wins gold at New York gala". CBC News. July 8, 2009.
  14. "CBC The Current - A Memoir of Captivity: Mellissa Fung". CBC News. 2011-05-05. Retrieved 2011-05-13.
  15. "CBC The National - Under an Afghan Sky: Mellissa Fung's memoir of 28 days in captivity". CBC News. 2011-05-05. Retrieved 2011-05-13.
  16. Leah McLaren, "‘I had to find them’: kidnapped filmmaker Mellissa Fung on her mission to find the Boko Haram girls". The Guardian , May 23, 2021.
  17. Brent Furdyk, "2022 Canadian Screen Award Nominees Announced, ‘Sort Of’ & ‘Scarborough’ Lead The Pack". ET Canada , February 15, 2022.
  18. "Order of Canada Appointees – June 2024". Governor General of Canada. Retrieved 2024-06-27.