Thomas Murphy (journalist)
Encyclopedia
Thomas "Tom" Murphy is a British born journalist
. Tom has worked as a producer / cameraman specializing in current affairs and documentaries, filming in many different environments, hostile and otherwise, throughout the world.
Tom is known for his video and work in most war zones across the world. Now living in Galway, Ireland, working for New Tech Post, an Irish based technology news website, as a correspondent and journalist.
Some highlights from his career are covering the first moments of the fall of the Berlin Wall
at the Brandenburg Gate
in Berlin on ; assignments in the Middle East
, Africa
and South East Asia
; and in-depth coverage of the situations in Iraq
and Afghanistan
, including time spent in the Korengal Valley and in Helmand Province with the American military forces. More recently, he received a Polk Award
for secretly filming in Burma in the aftermath of the Saffron Revolution. In 1982 he spent three months behind the Russian lines in Afghanistan with the Mujahedin making a documentary.
He has won Emmy awards for his coverage of the Israeli invasion of Lebanon
, a Moscow documentary shoot and for his footage of the Iraq War, filmed over more than three months in Baghdad
in 2003, some of which was used in the Michael Moore film ‘Fahrenheit 9/11.’
He has been covering most of the major war zones since then for most of the news channels, including the BBC
.
A list of his filming achievements include:
in 2007 for his camera work in Burma. He has also won Emmy awards for his coverage of the Israeli invasion of Lebanon, a Moscow documentary shoot and for his footage of the Iraq War, filmed over more than three months in Baghdad in 2003, some of which was used in the Michael Moore film ‘Fahrenheit 9/11.’
, Ireland, where he works as a journalist/columnist for New Tech Post.
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...
. Tom has worked as a producer / cameraman specializing in current affairs and documentaries, filming in many different environments, hostile and otherwise, throughout the world.
Tom is known for his video and work in most war zones across the world. Now living in Galway, Ireland, working for New Tech Post, an Irish based technology news website, as a correspondent and journalist.
Some highlights from his career are covering the first moments of the fall of the Berlin Wall
Berlin Wall
The Berlin Wall was a barrier constructed by the German Democratic Republic starting on 13 August 1961, that completely cut off West Berlin from surrounding East Germany and from East Berlin...
at the Brandenburg Gate
Brandenburg Gate
The Brandenburg Gate is a former city gate and one of the most well-known landmarks of Berlin and Germany. It is located west of the city centre at the junction of Unter den Linden and Ebertstraße, immediately west of the Pariser Platz. It is the only remaining gate of a series through which...
in Berlin on ; assignments in the Middle East
Middle East
The Middle East is a region that encompasses Western Asia and Northern Africa. It is often used as a synonym for Near East, in opposition to Far East...
, Africa
Africa
Africa is the world's second largest and second most populous continent, after Asia. At about 30.2 million km² including adjacent islands, it covers 6% of the Earth's total surface area and 20.4% of the total land area...
and South East Asia
Asia
Asia is the world's largest and most populous continent, located primarily in the eastern and northern hemispheres. It covers 8.7% of the Earth's total surface area and with approximately 3.879 billion people, it hosts 60% of the world's current human population...
; and in-depth coverage of the situations 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 Afghanistan
Afghanistan
Afghanistan , officially the Islamic Republic of Afghanistan, is a landlocked country located in the centre of Asia, forming South Asia, Central Asia and the Middle East. With a population of about 29 million, it has an area of , making it the 42nd most populous and 41st largest nation in the world...
, including time spent in the Korengal Valley and in Helmand Province with the American military forces. More recently, he received a Polk Award
George Polk Awards
The George Polk Awards in Journalism are a series of American journalism awards presented annually by Long Island University in New York in the United States.-History:...
for secretly filming in Burma in the aftermath of the Saffron Revolution. In 1982 he spent three months behind the Russian lines in Afghanistan with the Mujahedin making a documentary.
He has won Emmy awards for his coverage of the Israeli invasion of Lebanon
Lebanon
Lebanon , officially the Republic of LebanonRepublic of Lebanon is the most common term used by Lebanese government agencies. The term Lebanese Republic, a literal translation of the official Arabic and French names that is not used in today's world. Arabic is the most common language spoken among...
, a Moscow documentary shoot and for his footage of the Iraq War, filmed over more than three months in Baghdad
Baghdad
Baghdad is the capital of Iraq, as well as the coterminous Baghdad Governorate. The population of Baghdad in 2011 is approximately 7,216,040...
in 2003, some of which was used in the Michael Moore film ‘Fahrenheit 9/11.’
Fahrenheit 9/11
Fahrenheit 9/11 is a 2004 documentary film by American filmmaker and political commentator Michael Moore. The film takes a critical look at the presidency of George W. Bush, the War on Terror, and its coverage in the news media...
Working Life
Toms first major job was covering the Israeli invasion of Lebanon in 1982.He has been covering most of the major war zones since then for most of the news channels, including the BBC
BBC
The British Broadcasting Corporation is a British public service broadcaster. Its headquarters is at Broadcasting House in the City of Westminster, London. It is the largest broadcaster in the world, with about 23,000 staff...
.
A list of his filming achievements include:
- 1991 Jan. – Gulf War OneGulf WarThe Persian Gulf War , commonly referred to as simply the Gulf War, was a war waged by a U.N.-authorized coalition force from 34 nations led by the United States, against Iraq in response to Iraq's invasion and annexation of Kuwait.The war is also known under other names, such as the First Gulf...
- 1991 Sep. - The White House, Moscow The Second Russian Revolution
- 1992 Apr. to Aug. 1994 –The BalkansBalkansThe Balkans is a geopolitical and cultural region of southeastern Europe...
- 1993 Oct. – In Moscow for the Yeltsin backlashRussian constitutional crisis of 1993The constitutional crisis of 1993 was a political stand-off between the Russian president and the Russian parliament that was resolved by using military force. The relations between the president and the parliament had been deteriorating for a while...
. - 1995 Jan. – Mar. – Voyage through China. A two-month Nightline/BBC collaboration.
- 1997 Sept. – Princess Diana’s deathDeath of Diana, Princess of WalesOn 31 August 1997, Diana, Princess of Wales, died as a result of injuries sustained in a car accident in the Pont de l'Alma road tunnel in Paris, France. Her companion, Dodi Fayed, and the driver of the Mercedes-Benz W140, Henri Paul, were pronounced dead at the scene of the accident. Fayed's...
. - 1998 – Balkans. Mainly Kosovo.
- 1999 – AlbaniaAlbaniaAlbania , officially known as the Republic of Albania , is a country in Southeastern Europe, in the Balkans region. It is bordered by Montenegro to the northwest, Kosovo to the northeast, the Republic of Macedonia to the east and Greece to the south and southeast. It has a coast on the Adriatic Sea...
, MacedoniaRepublic of MacedoniaMacedonia , officially the Republic of Macedonia , is a country located in the central Balkan peninsula in Southeast Europe. It is one of the successor states of the former Yugoslavia, from which it declared independence in 1991...
, KosovoKosovoKosovo is a region in southeastern Europe. Part of the Ottoman Empire for more than five centuries, later the Autonomous Province of Kosovo and Metohija within Serbia... - 2001 – National Geographic, “Undersea Discovery, ” Black Sea, Turkey
- 2001 – National Geographic, “Three Photographers,” Cairo.
- 2003 – “Profile of a Suicide Bomber” for Primetime.
- 2003 – Discovery ChannelDiscovery ChannelDiscovery Channel is an American satellite and cable specialty channel , founded by John Hendricks and distributed by Discovery Communications. It is a publicly traded company run by CEO David Zaslav...
, Unsolved HistoryUnsolved HistoryUnsolved History is an American documentary television series that aired from 2002 to 2005. The program was produced by MorningStar Entertainment, Termite Art Productions, and others for the Discovery Channel. The series lasted over three seasons and had a total of 47 episodes, in which a team of...
– “Wreck of the Gusloff” - 2003 – Discovery ChannelDiscovery ChannelDiscovery Channel is an American satellite and cable specialty channel , founded by John Hendricks and distributed by Discovery Communications. It is a publicly traded company run by CEO David Zaslav...
, Unsolved HistoryUnsolved HistoryUnsolved History is an American documentary television series that aired from 2002 to 2005. The program was produced by MorningStar Entertainment, Termite Art Productions, and others for the Discovery Channel. The series lasted over three seasons and had a total of 47 episodes, in which a team of...
– “Last Flight of the Red Baron” - 2003 – Gulf War Two.
- 2003 – Discovery ChannelDiscovery ChannelDiscovery Channel is an American satellite and cable specialty channel , founded by John Hendricks and distributed by Discovery Communications. It is a publicly traded company run by CEO David Zaslav...
, Unsolved HistoryUnsolved HistoryUnsolved History is an American documentary television series that aired from 2002 to 2005. The program was produced by MorningStar Entertainment, Termite Art Productions, and others for the Discovery Channel. The series lasted over three seasons and had a total of 47 episodes, in which a team of...
– “Naval Battle in the Colosseum” - 2004 – Afghanistan, “The Hunt for Osama.”
- 2005 – Mitchell/Kenyon filmsMitchell and KenyonThe Mitchell & Kenyon film company was a pioneer of early commercial movies based in Blackburn in Lancashire, England at the start of the 20th century...
and “Undiscovered Chaplin.” - 2005 - Ireland with Frank McCourtFrank McCourtFrancis "Frank" McCourt was an Irish-American teacher and Pulitzer Prize–winning writer, best known as the author of Angela’s Ashes, an award-winning, tragicomic memoir of the misery and squalor of his childhood....
fhe author of “Angela’s Ashes” commenting on the rapid growth of the Celtic Tiger. - 2005 – Tsuanmi, Sri Lanka, Thailand, Indonesia.
- 2006 – Afghanistan. June-series of specials. Then 9/11 five year anniversary.Also series of live shows from Kabul.
- 2007, March – Tehran with Diane SawyerDiane SawyerLila Diane Sawyer is the current anchor of ABC News' flagship program, ABC World News. Previously, Sawyer had been co-anchor of ABC Newss morning news program, Good Morning America ....
. Interview with President Mahmoud Ahmadinejad. - 2007, April – With Diane SawyerDiane SawyerLila Diane Sawyer is the current anchor of ABC News' flagship program, ABC World News. Previously, Sawyer had been co-anchor of ABC Newss morning news program, Good Morning America ....
again. This time in Kabul, Afghanistan. Whole spot on kitemaking and flying. - 2007, June – Suicide Bombers in Morocco for HDnet with Michael Davie.
- 2007, November – Burma
- 2007, December – PakistanPakistanPakistan , officially the Islamic Republic of Pakistan is a sovereign state in South Asia. It has a coastline along the Arabian Sea and the Gulf of Oman in the south and is bordered by Afghanistan and Iran in the west, India in the east and China in the far northeast. In the north, Tajikistan...
, interview President Musharraf - 2008, April – Egypt and Kenya “We are 21″ ABC
- 2009, October, China vs America in Africa, HDnet (Producer/Camera)
Awards
Tom was awarded a Polk AwardGeorge Polk Awards
The George Polk Awards in Journalism are a series of American journalism awards presented annually by Long Island University in New York in the United States.-History:...
in 2007 for his camera work in Burma. He has also won Emmy awards for his coverage of the Israeli invasion of Lebanon, a Moscow documentary shoot and for his footage of the Iraq War, filmed over more than three months in Baghdad in 2003, some of which was used in the Michael Moore film ‘Fahrenheit 9/11.’
Fahrenheit 9/11
Fahrenheit 9/11 is a 2004 documentary film by American filmmaker and political commentator Michael Moore. The film takes a critical look at the presidency of George W. Bush, the War on Terror, and its coverage in the news media...
Current Life
Tom is now living in Galway cityGalway
Galway or City of Galway is a city in County Galway, Republic of Ireland. It is the sixth largest and the fastest-growing city in Ireland. It is also the third largest city within the Republic and the only city in the Province of Connacht. Located on the west coast of Ireland, it sits on the...
, Ireland, where he works as a journalist/columnist for New Tech Post.