Abdinasir Ali
Verified
As seen in:
BBC World,
Medium,
MSN,
BBC,
BBC News,
Yahoo Canada,
Yahoo News New Zealand,
Aol,
Flipboard,
Yahoo Sports,
Yahoo Sports Canada
and
Covers:
Conflict & Security, Culture, Environment
Multimedia Journalist at @BBCWorld | Award-Winning Filmmaker • Silver Telly Award 2025 | Covering stories across the Horn of Africa by @BBCSomali
Interview
Who's your favorite fictional journalist?
Lester Freamon from The Wire.
What does it mean to be a journalist?
For me, to be a journalist is to witness, to question, and to care.
How do you prefer to be pitched on stories?
Keep it simple and straight to the point. Tell me what the story is, why it matters, and what access or angle you have that makes it unique. If there’s a strong character at the heart of it, even better.
Who do you wish followed you?
David Attenborough, because his storytelling is the gold standard, and Mehdi Hassan, for his sharp interviews and unapologetic approach to hard-hitting topics.
Why did you become a journalist?
Because of a curiosity about the world and a need to understand people’s stories.
What advice can you offer to aspiring journalists?
Stay curious and keep asking questions, especially the ones others overlook.
When's the best time to pitch you?
Mid-day or early in the day.
What's the best pitch you ever got?
It wasn’t the most polished, but it had heart. Someone reached out about a short film made by a young Somali actor warning against clan revenge—months later, the same actor was killed in a real clan-related revenge attack. The timing, the irony, and the tragedy hit hard. It was raw, real, and deeply personal.
When you're not at a computer, where are you most likely to be?
You’ll probably find me playing video games, or chess with my friends, or—if I’m low on energy immersed in a good paperback book.
Would you like to take the Muck Rack Interview?
Create a Muck Rack profile.