Rukmini Callimachi
Born
Rukmini Maria Sichitiu

(1973-06-25) 25 June 1973
Bucharest, Socialist Republic of Romania
Alma materDartmouth College
University of Oxford
OccupationJournalist
AwardsAurora Prize, Sidney Hillman Foundation Award, Overseas Press Club of America (rescinded), Peabody Award (rescinded)

Rukmini Maria Callimachi (born Sichitiu[1] on 25 June 1973)[2] is a Romanian-born American journalist. She currently works for The New York Times. She had been a Pulitzer Prize finalist four times. She hosted the New York Times podcast Caliphate, which won a Peabody Award, but the Times returned the award after an investigation cast doubt on a significant portion of the podcast.

Background

Gyantse Fortress in Tibet, where Callimachi traveled for the RGS

Callimachi gained her name "Rukmini" through her family's closeness to the Indian theosophist Rukmini Devi Arundale, founder of Kalakshetra Foundation in Chennai, India.[3] Born Sichitiu, she is the stepdaughter of Mihai Botez, a scientist and dissident against the Romanian communist regime.[1] Rukmini is a matrilineal descendant of the Callimachi family of Phanariotes (and as such also Greco-Romanian); her ancestor on that side is Eufrosina Callimachi, daughter of Hospodar Scarlat Callimachi.[1] She changed her last name to Callimachi in order to honor this legacy.[1]

Rukmini Sichitiu left Romania at age 5, in 1979: her mother and grandmother took her on a trip to Switzerland, during which they defected; Rukmini's father remained in Bucharest, to alleviate suspicions, and finally joined them in 1980.[1] According to her own recollections, she had a hard time fitting into Swiss society. Four years later, her parents were separated. While her father stayed in Lausanne, Rukmini and her mother left for Ojai, California, where Rukmini attended primary school.[1] She is a graduate of The Oak Grove School and The Thacher School. She took diplomas from Dartmouth College and from Exeter College of the University of Oxford, where she did a graduate course in linguistics.[4]

Career

Deux Mamelles from afar, with African Renaissance Monument on left, Les Mamelles Lighthouse on right, in Senegal, where Callimachi has reported

After publishing some poetry, Callimachi became a freelancer in New Delhi, India, including for Time magazine.[5][6][7] In 2003, she joined the Associated Press in Portland, Oregon. After a year in New Orleans documenting the aftermath of Hurricane Katrina, in 2006 she began reporting out of Dakar, Senegal, as a West African correspondent for the Associated Press. There she focused on investigating the exploitation of children in West and Central Africa, for which she was named a Pulitzer Finalist in International Reporting in 2009.[8] Callimachi later became known for her work on extremism, and was again named Pulitzer Finalist in 2014 for "her discovery and fearless exploration of internal documents that shattered myths and deepened understanding of the global terrorist network of al-Qaida."[9]

In 2014, Callimachi was hired by The New York Times.[10] Her reporting focused on Islamic extremism,[11] which helped the Times earn a Pulitzer Finalist accolade in 2016 as part of a group entry.[12] Callimachi's work in investigative journalism was recognised in 2016, as she won the inaugural International Center for Journalists' Integrity in Journalism Award, for her "exceptional contribution to exposing crimes against humanity".[13]

In 2020, Callimachi was reassigned at the Times and will no longer cover terrorism.[14]

ISIS reporting

Caliphate

The serialized audio documentary Caliphate, first released in April 2018, follows Callimachi as she reports on the Islamic State, and the accounts of Abu Huzaifa al-Kanadi, who claimed to have murdered people while fighting for the Islamic State, and since returned to Canada where he was living freely.[15][16][17] The podcast won a Peabody Award in the radio/podcast category that year.[18] Her work on Caliphate also made her a Pulitzer Finalist again, "[f]or dissecting the power and persistence of the ISIS terror movement, through relentless on-the-ground and online reporting, and masterful use of podcast storytelling."[19]

In May 2018, the reliability of Huzaifa's story had received concerns from television journalist Diana Swain of CBC News, who suggested that he may be "lying" to The New York Times.[20] In September 2020, the Canadian Abu Huzaifa whose real name was Shehroze Chaudhry, was arrested by Royal Canadian Mounted Police (RCMP) and charged under Canadian hoax laws for fabricating his story on social media of traveling to Syria and joining ISIS, which was covered by the Caliphate podcast produced by The New York Times. His case is ongoing.[21][22][23] In response to criticism of Caliphate's depiction of Chaudry's story, the Times announced on September 30 that the paper would begin a "fresh examination" of the series's reporting.[24]

In December 2020, The New York Times admitted that much of the podcast had been based on bad information, that significant errors had been made at the newspaper, and that the Caliphate "podcast as a whole should not have been produced with Mr. Chaudhry as a central narrative character."[25][26] Callimachi was reassigned as a result.[27] On December 18, 2020, the Times also announced that, in view of the results of its investigation, it will return the Peabody Award which had been won by the Caliphate podcast.[28]

The ISIS Files

Over 15,000 files, now known as "The ISIS Files"—obtained by Callimachi and her "Iraqi colleagues during embeds with the Iraqi army"—were digitize[d], translate[d], analyze[d], and publish[ed]" by The New York Times and George Washington University in an "exclusive partnership". The two partners announced their intentions to do so in 2018, and by 2020, the files have been online.[29]

There has been criticism of how Callimachi acquired the ISIS Files.[30][31] The documents are alleged to have been removed from Iraq without permission, displaying a "neo-imperial mindset".[30]

After digitization, the files were given to the Embassy of the Republic of Iraq in Washington, DC.[32]

Awards

Works

News

Poetry

See also

References

  1. 1 2 3 4 5 6 Ungureanu, Laurențiu (18 March 2017). "Serial Boieri mari, Episodul 10: Familia Callimachi. Scarlat, sânge de boier, minte de comunist". Adevărul (in Romanian). Archived from the original on 20 March 2017.
  2. ↑ Mihaiescu, Marlus (21 April 2009). "Rukmini Callimachi - jurnalista americana de origine romana - nominalizata la premiile Pulitzer". HotNews.ro. Retrieved 18 August 2011.
  3. ↑ "Rukmini Callimachi-Rukmini Arundale". Retrieved 10 January 2015.
  4. ↑ Reid, Stuart (July–August 2015). "The Beat of Terror". Dartmouth Alumni Magazine. Retrieved 9 July 2018.
  5. ↑ Callimachi, Ruckmini. "Oxford Poetry Vol X No 3: Rus et Urbs (Summer 1999)". webpage. demon.co.uk. Archived from the original on 3 March 2016. Retrieved 18 August 2011.
  6. ↑ "Index of Authors". webpage. Black Warrior Review. Archived from the original on 17 June 2011. Retrieved 18 August 2011.
  7. ↑ Chotnier, Isaac. "The ISIS Correspondent". Slate. Retrieved 12 July 2016.
  8. ↑ Pascariu, Roxana (24 April 2009). "Rukmini Callimachi: Pulitzer Finalist 2009". The Romanian Office. Retrieved 18 August 2011.
  9. ↑ "The 2014 Pulitzer Prize Finalist in International Reporting". The Pulitzer Prizes. Retrieved 21 September 2019.
  10. ↑ Calderone, Michael (27 February 2014). "AP's Rukmini Callimachi Joins The New York Times". Huffington Post. Retrieved 26 October 2014.
  11. ↑ Rukmini Callimachi. "Rukmini Callimachi (@rcallimachi)". Twitter. Retrieved 23 May 2017.
  12. ↑ "The 2016 Pulitzer Prize Finalist in International Reporting". The Pulitzer Prizes. Retrieved 21 September 2019.
  13. ↑ "The New York Times' Rukmini Callimachi to Receive the ICFJ Integrity in Journalism Award in Partnership with the Aurora Prize". ICFJ. 23 April 2016. Retrieved 21 September 2019.
  14. ↑ Elahe Izadi; Paul Farhi (18 December 2020). "The New York Times could not verify ISIS claims in its 'Caliphate' podcast. Now it's returning a prestigious award". The Washington Post. Retrieved 8 January 2021. it has reassigned Callimachi, one of its highest-profile journalists, and that she will no longer cover terrorism
  15. ↑ Nicholas Quah (20 April 2018). "Why the New York Times Is Making a Podcast About ISIS". Vulture.com. Retrieved 4 May 2018.
  16. ↑ Lisa Ryan (26 April 2018). "The New York Times' Rukmini Callimachi on How She Gets Close to ISIS". The Cut. Retrieved 4 May 2018.
  17. ↑ Meg Dalton and Pete Vernon (3 May 2018). "Podcast: Rukmini Callimachi on covering ISIS". Columbia Journalism Review. Retrieved 4 May 2018.
  18. ↑ ""Caliphate" Wins 2018 Peabody Award". The New York Times Company. 23 April 2019. Retrieved 21 September 2019.
  19. ↑ "The 2019 Pulitzer Prize Finalist in International Reporting". The Pulitzer Prizes. Retrieved 21 September 2019.
  20. ↑ "Did former Canadian ISIS member lie to the New York Times or to CBC News?". CBC News.
  21. ↑ "Burlington, Ont., man faces terrorism hoax charge after claiming to be ISIS member". CBC. 25 September 2020. Retrieved 15 May 2023.
  22. ↑ Wemple, Erik (28 September 2020). "Subject of NYT 'Caliphate' podcast series charged with perpetrating a hoax". The Washington Post. Retrieved 2 October 2020.
  23. ↑ Wemple, Erik (1 October 2020). "Rukmini Callimachi's reporting troubles". The Washington Post. Retrieved 2 October 2020.
  24. ↑ Robertson, Katie (30 September 2020). "The Times Starts Review of 'Caliphate' Podcast After Hoax Charge". The New York Times. Retrieved 11 October 2020.
  25. ↑ Mazzetti, Mark; Austen, Ian; Bowley, Graham; Browne, Malachy (18 December 2020). "A Riveting ISIS Story, Told in a Times Podcast, Falls Apart". The New York Times. ISSN 0362-4331. Retrieved 18 December 2020.
  26. ↑ Cartwright, Maxwell Tani,Lachlan (18 December 2020). "New York Times Admits Its Caliphate Podcast Fell for ISIS Hoaxer's Bullshit". The Daily Beast. Retrieved 18 December 2020.{{cite news}}: CS1 maint: multiple names: authors list (link)
  27. ↑ Folkenfilk, David (18 December 2020). "'New York Times' Retracts Core Of Hit Podcast Series 'Caliphate' On ISIS". NPR. Retrieved 18 December 2020.
  28. 1 2 Elahe Izadi; Paul Farhi (18 December 2020). "The New York Times could not verify ISIS claims in its 'Caliphate' podcast. Now it's returning a prestigious award". The Washington Post. Retrieved 19 December 2020.
  29. ↑ "The ISIS Files". The New York Times and George Washington University. June 2020. Retrieved 29 June 2020.
  30. 1 2 Brand, Laurie A.; Tucker, Judith E. (1 June 2020). "'The ISIS files': Learning the lessons of history?". Journal of Contemporary Iraq & the Arab World. 14 (1): 135–142. doi:10.1386/jciaw_00023_1. S2CID 225877835. Retrieved 29 January 2021.
  31. ↑ Bet-Shlimon, Arbella (9 May 2018). "Preservation or Plunder? The ISIS Files and a History of Heritage Removal in Iraq". MERIP. Retrieved 29 January 2021.
  32. ↑ "About Page | The ISIS Files". George Washington University. June 2020. Retrieved 24 February 2022.
  33. ↑ "Peabody names News & Radio/Podcast Winners". 23 April 2019. Retrieved 21 September 2019.
  34. ↑ "Aurora Prize: The New York Times reporter receives Integrity in Journalism Award". News.am. 24 April 2016. Retrieved 25 April 2016.
  35. ↑ "Finalist: Rukmini Maria Callimachi". Archived from the original on 20 April 2009. Retrieved 30 August 2009.
  36. ↑ "Rukmini Callimachi". Archived from the original on 2 December 2012. Retrieved 29 December 2012.
  37. ↑ "AP reporter Callimachi receives UGA's McGill Medal for Journalistic Courage - UGA Today". UGA Today. 19 April 2012. Retrieved 3 April 2018.
  38. ↑ "Eugene S. Pulliam National Journalism Writing Award". Ball State University. Archived from the original on 11 August 2011. Retrieved 18 August 2011.
  39. ↑ "Pulitzer Prize Finalists 2009". Pulitzer.org. Retrieved 30 August 2009.
  40. ↑ "Sidney Hillman Foundation Awards —". Infoplease.com. 2 April 2007. Retrieved 26 February 2013.
  41. ↑ "Previous RNA Contest Winners". Rna.org. 4 February 2013. Archived from the original on 17 May 2018. Retrieved 30 August 2009.
External videos
video icon Who are the Islamic State fighters? Rukmini Callimachi is on a mission to find out, Matter Of Fact With Stan Grant, ABC News
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