FELICE FRIEDSON has been at the forefront of creative media and communication for two decades. A communications major, Felice created a decade-long, nationally-syndicated radio program that brought her in contact with reporting from the Middle East. A seasoned television, print and radio journalist, Felice prides herself in presenting her story in context –whether reporting from Jerusalem, Sana’a or Ramallah.
Felice Friedson
In 2000, Felice developed the concept for The Media Line Ltd., an American news agency specializing in coverage of the Middle East which became one of the most prolific content providers to the region and around the world. Under Felice’s direction, The Media Line has become a primary source of reliable news and information to both the public and private sectors with a strong emphasis on economic coverage from Israel and Palestine.
Capitalizing on The Media Line’s reputation for credibility and complete reporting, Felice in 2005 established The Mideast Press Club, which has brought more than 200 Israeli and Palestinian journalists together as professionals. Felice has been recognized as a leading proponent of press access. In 2010, Felice foresaw the need for an initiative to support and empower Women in Mideast Media – an effort that became enormously important with the onset of the “Arab Spring.”
Felice has interviewed the leaders of the Middle East, from Mahmoud Abbas, Salam Fayyad and Riad Malki; to Binyamin Netanyahu and Shimon Peres; to officials of the Yemeni government. She served for a year as interlocutor between Israeli and Palestinian government officials negotiating the issues of press freedoms.
Passionate about journalistic standards, Felice has since launched the Press and Policy Student Program, two-track initiative in partnership with colleges and universities world-wide to provide the next generation of journalists and policy-makers the experience of working one-on- one with a mentor who is a seasoned pro in a working newsroom in one of the world’s most contentious regions.
Recognizing her role in creating an agency of unsurpassed credibility in one of the world’s most volatile and untrusting regions, Felice was honored to be named a delegate to the 2009 Global Creative Leadership Conference in New York. She has been twice nominated for the Charles Bronfman Prize – notably pursuant to a nomination submitted jointly by both Israeli and Palestinian journalists; and is a 2010 recipient of the Global Citizen Award from Orphans International.