Atika Shubert
Encyclopedia
Atika Shubert is a CNN
journalist
who has been working out of their London
bureau since late 2008. Prior to working for CNN, she was a correspondent for The Washington Post
and The New Zealand Herald
in Indonesia
as she speaks both English
and Indonesian
fluently. She is a graduate of the Class of 1991 of Jakarta International School
. She is an Economics graduate of Tufts University
in Medford, Massachusetts
.
bureau, and was appointed to the position of Tokyo
correspondent in 2004. During her time reporting from Tokyo, Shubert covered a number of major news stories in Japan, including the controversial deployment of Japan's Self-Defense Forces
, the Japanese hostage situation in Iraq
and the verdict of Shoko Asahara
(the mastermind behind the 1995 sarin gas attack
in Tokyo). In the summer of 2005, Shubert reported live from Hiroshima
on the commemoration of the 60th anniversary of the 1945 atomic bombing
for CNN's special Remembering Hiroshima. She also reported on the nuclear tensions
in the Korean Peninsula in 2006, after North Korea
tested nuclear weapons.
CNN claims that Shubert was one of the first CNN correspondents to report on the 2004 Indian Ocean earthquake
and resulting tsunami
, reporting from Aceh
, Indonesia, where she was vacationing at the time. Also in Indonesia, Shubert covered a number of major new events that included the 2002 Bali bombings, the fall of Indonesian President Abdurrahman Wahid
and the inauguration of President Megawati Sukarnoputri
, East Timor
's transition to independence, the resurgence of the Free Aceh
separatist movement, the religious conflict in Ambon City
and the fall of former Indonesian President Suharto and resulting reform movement
. Shubert also briefly covered the Schapelle Corby
verdict in Bali
; however, due to the time consuming and overall expensive nature of this landmark court case, CNN eventually opted to run stock footage obtained from its Australian network affiliates instead of direct reporting. Shubert has also contributed reports from the Philippines
and Singapore
.
Since September 2008, Shubert has been based in the CNN London bureau covering stories from around the UK and Europe.
founder Julian Assange
shortly after his organization released classified US military documents
related to the Iraq War. After asking him questions about internal issues related to Wikileaks itself, she began asking questions about his alleged sexual assaults. Assange stated that if this line of questioning continued, as opposed to being asked questions directly related to the leaked documents, he would leave the interview. Shubert persisted in her line of questioning, and Assange walked out of the interview.
CNN
Cable News Network is a U.S. cable news channel founded in 1980 by Ted Turner. Upon its launch, CNN was the first channel to provide 24-hour television news coverage, and the first all-news television channel in the United States...
journalist
Journalist
A journalist collects and distributes news and other information. A journalist's work is referred to as journalism.A reporter is a type of journalist who researchs, writes, and reports on information to be presented in mass media, including print media , electronic media , and digital media A...
who has been working out of their London
London
London is the capital city of :England and the :United Kingdom, the largest metropolitan area in the United Kingdom, and the largest urban zone in the European Union by most measures. Located on the River Thames, London has been a major settlement for two millennia, its history going back to its...
bureau since late 2008. Prior to working for CNN, she was a correspondent for The Washington Post
The Washington Post
The Washington Post is Washington, D.C.'s largest newspaper and its oldest still-existing paper, founded in 1877. Located in the capital of the United States, The Post has a particular emphasis on national politics. D.C., Maryland, and Virginia editions are printed for daily circulation...
and The New Zealand Herald
The New Zealand Herald
- External links :* * *...
in Indonesia
Indonesia
Indonesia , officially the Republic of Indonesia , is a country in Southeast Asia and Oceania. Indonesia is an archipelago comprising approximately 13,000 islands. It has 33 provinces with over 238 million people, and is the world's fourth most populous country. Indonesia is a republic, with an...
as she speaks both English
English language
English is a West Germanic language that arose in the Anglo-Saxon kingdoms of England and spread into what was to become south-east Scotland under the influence of the Anglian medieval kingdom of Northumbria...
and Indonesian
Indonesian language
Indonesian is the official language of Indonesia. Indonesian is a normative form of the Riau Islands dialect of Malay, an Austronesian language which has been used as a lingua franca in the Indonesian archipelago for centuries....
fluently. She is a graduate of the Class of 1991 of Jakarta International School
Jakarta International School
Jakarta International School is a private, international school in Jakarta, Indonesia. It was established in 1951 for expatriate students living in Jakarta and is the largest international primary and secondary school in Indonesia....
. She is an Economics graduate of Tufts University
Tufts University
Tufts University is a private research university located in Medford/Somerville, near Boston, Massachusetts. It is organized into ten schools, including two undergraduate programs and eight graduate divisions, on four campuses in Massachusetts and on the eastern border of France...
in Medford, Massachusetts
Medford, Massachusetts
Medford is a city in Middlesex County, Massachusetts, in the United States, on the Mystic River, five miles northwest of downtown Boston. In the 2010 U.S. Census, Medford's population was 56,173...
.
Career
Shubert joined CNN in 2000 as a reporter for CNN's JakartaJakarta
Jakarta is the capital and largest city of Indonesia. Officially known as the Special Capital Territory of Jakarta, it is located on the northwest coast of Java, has an area of , and a population of 9,580,000. Jakarta is the country's economic, cultural and political centre...
bureau, and was appointed to the position of Tokyo
Tokyo
, ; officially , is one of the 47 prefectures of Japan. Tokyo is the capital of Japan, the center of the Greater Tokyo Area, and the largest metropolitan area of Japan. It is the seat of the Japanese government and the Imperial Palace, and the home of the Japanese Imperial Family...
correspondent in 2004. During her time reporting from Tokyo, Shubert covered a number of major news stories in Japan, including the controversial deployment of Japan's Self-Defense Forces
Japan Self-Defense Forces
The , or JSDF, occasionally referred to as JSF or SDF, are the unified military forces of Japan that were established after the end of the post–World War II Allied occupation of Japan. For most of the post-war period the JSDF was confined to the islands of Japan and not permitted to be deployed...
, the Japanese hostage situation in Iraq
Iraq
Iraq ; officially the Republic of Iraq is a country in Western Asia spanning most of the northwestern end of the Zagros mountain range, the eastern part of the Syrian Desert and the northern part of the Arabian Desert....
and the verdict of Shoko Asahara
Shoko Asahara
, born on March 2, 1955, is a founder of the controversial Japanese new religious group Aum Shinrikyo. He was convicted of masterminding the 1995 sarin gas attack on the Tokyo subway and several other crimes, for which he was sentenced to death...
(the mastermind behind the 1995 sarin gas attack
Sarin gas attack on the Tokyo subway
The Sarin attack on the Tokyo subway, usually referred to in the Japanese media as the , was an act of domestic terrorism perpetrated by members of Aum Shinrikyo on March 20, 1995....
in Tokyo). In the summer of 2005, Shubert reported live from Hiroshima
Hiroshima
is the capital of Hiroshima Prefecture, and the largest city in the Chūgoku region of western Honshu, the largest island of Japan. It became best known as the first city in history to be destroyed by a nuclear weapon when the United States Army Air Forces dropped an atomic bomb on it at 8:15 A.M...
on the commemoration of the 60th anniversary of the 1945 atomic bombing
Atomic bombings of Hiroshima and Nagasaki
During the final stages of World War II in 1945, the United States conducted two atomic bombings against the cities of Hiroshima and Nagasaki in Japan, the first on August 6, 1945, and the second on August 9, 1945. These two events are the only use of nuclear weapons in war to date.For six months...
for CNN's special Remembering Hiroshima. She also reported on the nuclear tensions
2006 North Korean nuclear test
The 2006 North Korean nuclear test was the detonation of a nuclear device conducted on October 9, 2006 by North Korea.North Korea announced its intention to conduct a test on October 3, six days prior, and in doing so became the first nation to give warning of its first nuclear test...
in the Korean Peninsula in 2006, after North Korea
North Korea
The Democratic People’s Republic of Korea , , is a country in East Asia, occupying the northern half of the Korean Peninsula. Its capital and largest city is Pyongyang. The Korean Demilitarized Zone serves as the buffer zone between North Korea and South Korea...
tested nuclear weapons.
CNN claims that Shubert was one of the first CNN correspondents to report on the 2004 Indian Ocean earthquake
2004 Indian Ocean earthquake
The 2004 Indian Ocean earthquake was an undersea megathrust earthquake that occurred at 00:58:53 UTC on Sunday, December 26, 2004, with an epicentre off the west coast of Sumatra, Indonesia. The quake itself is known by the scientific community as the Sumatra-Andaman earthquake...
and resulting tsunami
Tsunami
A tsunami is a series of water waves caused by the displacement of a large volume of a body of water, typically an ocean or a large lake...
, reporting from Aceh
Aceh
Aceh is a special region of Indonesia, located on the northern tip of the island of Sumatra. Its full name is Daerah Istimewa Aceh , Nanggroë Aceh Darussalam and Aceh . Past spellings of its name include Acheh, Atjeh and Achin...
, Indonesia, where she was vacationing at the time. Also in Indonesia, Shubert covered a number of major new events that included the 2002 Bali bombings, the fall of Indonesian President Abdurrahman Wahid
Abdurrahman Wahid
Abdurrahman Wahid, born Abdurrahman Addakhil , colloquially known as , was an Indonesian Muslim religious and political leader who served as the President of Indonesia from 1999 to 2001...
and the inauguration of President Megawati Sukarnoputri
Megawati Sukarnoputri
In this Indonesian name, the name "Sukarnoputri" is a patronymic, not a family name, and the person should be referred to by the given name "Megawati"....
, East Timor
East Timor
The Democratic Republic of Timor-Leste, commonly known as East Timor , is a state in Southeast Asia. It comprises the eastern half of the island of Timor, the nearby islands of Atauro and Jaco, and Oecusse, an exclave on the northwestern side of the island, within Indonesian West Timor...
's transition to independence, the resurgence of the Free Aceh
Free Aceh Movement
The Free Aceh Movement , also known as the Aceh Sumatra National Liberation Front , was a separatist group seeking independence for the Aceh region of Sumatra from Indonesia. GAM fought against Indonesian government forces in the Aceh Insurgency from 1976 to 2005, costing over 15,000 lives...
separatist movement, the religious conflict in Ambon City
Ambon City
Ambon is the main city and seaport of Ambon Island, and is the capital of Maluku province of Indonesia. It is one of the largest cities in eastern Indonesia....
and the fall of former Indonesian President Suharto and resulting reform movement
Reformation (Indonesia)
The Post-Suharto era in Indonesia began with the fall of Suharto in 1998. Since then Indonesia has been in a period of transition. This era has been called the period of Reformasi...
. Shubert also briefly covered the Schapelle Corby
Schapelle Corby
Schapelle Leigh Corby is an Australian woman convicted of drug smuggling who is imprisoned in Indonesia.Corby is serving a 20-year sentence for the importation of of cannabis into Bali, Indonesia...
verdict in Bali
Bali
Bali is an Indonesian island located in the westernmost end of the Lesser Sunda Islands, lying between Java to the west and Lombok to the east...
; however, due to the time consuming and overall expensive nature of this landmark court case, CNN eventually opted to run stock footage obtained from its Australian network affiliates instead of direct reporting. Shubert has also contributed reports from the Philippines
Philippines
The Philippines , officially known as the Republic of the Philippines , is a country in Southeast Asia in the western Pacific Ocean. To its north across the Luzon Strait lies Taiwan. West across the South China Sea sits Vietnam...
and Singapore
Singapore
Singapore , officially the Republic of Singapore, is a Southeast Asian city-state off the southern tip of the Malay Peninsula, north of the equator. An island country made up of 63 islands, it is separated from Malaysia by the Straits of Johor to its north and from Indonesia's Riau Islands by the...
.
Since September 2008, Shubert has been based in the CNN London bureau covering stories from around the UK and Europe.
Interview with Julian Assange
In October, 2010, Shubert interviewed WikileaksWikileaks
WikiLeaks is an international self-described not-for-profit organisation that publishes submissions of private, secret, and classified media from anonymous news sources, news leaks, and whistleblowers. Its website, launched in 2006 under The Sunshine Press organisation, claimed a database of more...
founder Julian Assange
Julian Assange
Julian Paul Assange is an Australian publisher, journalist, writer, computer programmer and Internet activist. He is the editor in chief of WikiLeaks, a whistleblower website and conduit for worldwide news leaks with the stated purpose of creating open governments.WikiLeaks has published material...
shortly after his organization released classified US military documents
Iraq War documents leak
The Iraq War documents leak is the unsanctioned disclosure of a collection of 391,832 United States Army field reports, also called the Iraq War Logs, of the Iraq War from 2004 to 2009 to several international media organizations and published on the Internet by WikiLeaks on 2010. The files record...
related to the Iraq War. After asking him questions about internal issues related to Wikileaks itself, she began asking questions about his alleged sexual assaults. Assange stated that if this line of questioning continued, as opposed to being asked questions directly related to the leaked documents, he would leave the interview. Shubert persisted in her line of questioning, and Assange walked out of the interview.
External links
- Atika Shubert profile on CNN.com
- Shubert's report on her interview with Assange, including video of him walking off the set of the interview.