Veteran UK journalist Robert Fisk dies at 74

DUBLIN: Veteran British journalist Robert Fisk who lived in and covered the Arab world for more than 40 years died on Sunday after becoming unwell at his Dublin home.

According to Irish Times, Fisk,74, was admitted to St Vincent’s Hospital on Friday after suffering a suspected stroke. He was born in Kent, England, and later became an Irish citizen. Fisk was one of the most highly regarded and controversial British journalists and was currently The Independent’s Middle East correspondent. Fisk was known for his sharp-eyed analysis of the region and access to some of the world’s most notorious leaders. He also covered the US-led war wars in Afghanistan and Iraq and frequently condemned US involvement in the region. Fisk was one of very few western reporters to interview Osama Bin Laden, something he did on three occasions in the 1990s.

He reported the Syria-Lebanon war, five Israeli invasions, the Iran-Iraq war, Soviet invasion of Afghanistan, the Algerian civil war, Saddam Hussain’s invasion of Kuwait, the Bosnian and Kosovo wars, the American invasion and occupation of Iran and the 2011 Arab revolutions.

His journalism career started at Sunday Express in London. Fisk moved to Belfast in 1972 when he joined London Times as Northern Ireland correspondent. He did a PhD from Trinity College and completed a thesis on Ireland’s neutrality during World War II.

Fisk then briefly covered Portugal for the Times before moving to Beirut to report on the Middle East. The British correspondent received many awards over the course of his career including the Orwell Prize for Journalism, British Press Awards International Journalist of the Year and Foreign Reporter of the Year on multiple occasions.

Fisk was also given honorary degrees and doctorates from universities in several countries. In 2009, the Trinity College Dublin’s Historical Society awarded him a gold medal for making significant contribution in public sphere to push the society’s ideals of public discourse.

His most acknowledged books include The Point of No Return: The Strike Which Broke the British in Ulster, Pity the Nation: Lebanon at War and The Great War for Civilisation – The Conquest of the Middle East.