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Laurence Haim (or Laura, as she is known in the U.S) was born on May 20, 1966 in Paris, France. She is a French-American journalist.

Biography

Career

A self-taught journalist, Laura began her career at age 17 as a reporter at RTL Radio. In 1989, Laura Haïm was one of the first journalists at the CAPA agency led by Hervé Chabalier, where she created television reports for programs such as "24 hours" on Canal +, "Envoyé spécial" (the French 60 Minutes) on France 2, and "Zone interdite" on M6.

As a foreign correspondent for CAPA, she covered international events such as the famine in Somalia, the beginning of the war in Bosnia, and the situation in Israel, the West Bank, and Gaza.

Given her deep interest in the United States, she moved to New York in 1992 to create the first office for Canal Plus Group, where she worked as a correspondent until 2001.

In 2001, after September 11, Laura was on assignment in Israel when she witnessed a suicide bombing, which she began filming. Dan Rather of CBS News was also on location and decided to hire her as a video journalist and producer for CBS News.

From 2002 to 2006, she covered the war in Iraq and the situation in the Near East for CBS while based primarily in Baghdad.

In October 2006, she returned to the United States and offered to exclusively follow Barack Obama's campaign for Canal Plus. She is the only French journalist who interviewed him during the 2008 campaign.

In January 2009, she became an accredited White House and Pentagon correspondent for Canal Plus Group and moved to Washington DC to follow the Obama administration on a daily basis.

In June 2009, she conducted another exclusive interview with the President Obama, which aired on Canal +.

During this period, she covered all news related to the Obama administration, including the president’s travels.

She also covered the sex scandal involving Dominique Strauss-Khan, the former managing director of the IMF who wanted to run for president in France.

Laura covered exclusive news and became a very familiar face on the 24-hour cable news channel of Canal Plus, I-Télé, which aired in over 60 French-speaking countries, including those in Africa.

She also founded the first group for the foreign White House correspondents accredited to the White House. From 2009 to 2014 she was twice elected president of the White House Foreign Press Association by her peers.

She is the only French journalist who has done three exclusive interviews with Barack Obama during his time as Senator and President.

In April 2015, before anyone else in Europe, she offered to cover Donald Trump's campaign for Canal Plus and became the only permanent accredited European journalist for the Trump campaign aboard, in the press place, and in the traveling press from August 2016 until his election.

For Canal Plus Group, she has conducted exclusive political interviews in France with former President François Hollande, as well as Marine Le Pen.

In 2015 she was also the only French journalist who obtained an exclusive interview with Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu during the war in Gaza. In 2016 she also did an exclusive interview for French television with one of the Navy Seals who said he killed Osama bin Laden during the raid.

She has also worked exclusively on Guantanamo, where she traveled over eight times to document the 9/11 pre-trials.

Over the years she has worked on personal projects, including a report on crime in America for French Magazine with photojournalist James Nachtwey, the founder of VII Agency.

During the Bataclan attacks in Paris she became a familiar face and contributor on MSNBC for her coverage of the tragic event.

To the surprise of many in France, she joined Emmanuel Macron's team in December 2016 when she was offered the position of spokesperson for international affairs during his campaign.

On July 12, 2017, after President Macron’s campaign, Laura decided to come back to the United States and join the Institute of Political Studies at the University of Chicago's Institute of Politics, headed by David Axelrod, a former adviser to Barack Obama. She became a fellow there.

She currently divides her time between Paris and Washington, DC, and her passion is observing the jungle in Costa Rica.

Distinction

Awards

In 2013 and 2014 she was named in France Best Foreign Correspondent and also received the award "Trophée des femmes en or, Media Woman of the Year.” The news magazine France-Amérique featured her as one of the most important French people living in the U.S.

On July 12, 2017, after President Macron’s campaign, Laura decided to come back to the United States and join the Institute of Political Studies at the University of Chicago's Institute of Politics, headed by David Axelrod, a former adviser to Barack Obama. She became a fellow there.

Decoration

She was made “Chevalier de La Legion d’Honneur” in 2015 for her serious journalism and work in the U.S.

Documentaries

Documentaries for French TV

• 1992: Broadway Behind Glory (52 minutes). Envoyé spécial

• 1993: Missing Kids in America. Envoyé spécial

• 2001: 9/11, the Week after in NYC (10 minutes). Canal Plus/ I Télé

• 2001: November: Enron, One Week in Houston. I Télé

• 2003: Human Bombs. 60 Minutes / CBS News.

• 2004: A Tsunami in Southeast Asia (45 minutes). Envoyé spécial). (Aired in January 2005)

• 2006: Fire Island

• 2006: Iraq (52 minutes). M6

• 2007, April: Darfur ER with George Clooney (45 minutes). Envoyé spécial

• 2008: No Access (55min). CAPA

• 2010: Full Access (1h17). CAPA

• 2012: Obama, La dernière campagne (1h10). CAPA

• 2016: Election américaine: Showtime! (54min). CAPA

Documentaries for CBS News

Video Journalist and producer 2002-2007 for Dan Rather

• April 2002 Suicide Bombings in Israel. CBS exclusive footage and story for Dan Rather about a suicide bombing in Jerusalem

. This coverage won the Edward R. Murrow award for CBS Evening News “Mideast Madness,” April 12, 2002.

• March 2006 Inside the Mind of a Would-be Al Qaeda Suicide Bomber. Exclusive interview for CBS News

• August 2005Hurricane Katrina coverage in New Orleans. Obtained exclusive footage as first journalist on-site with the Air Force rescue team above the city

• Dec. 2004 - Jan. 2005 Tsunami, Sri Lanka and the Maldives, for CBS Evening News.

• Haiti, the Fall. Exclusive interview with President Aristide for CBS Evening News.

• 2003-2006 War in Iraq : Daily reports for CBS Evening News with Dan Rather, including:Inside Baghdad During the War - CBS exclusive with Lara Logan, the only two non-embedded reporters from a U.S. network inside Baghdad from February to May 2003.

• The Capture of Saddam Hussein. Nominated for an Emmy, “Best News Story of the Year.

• Fall of Baghdad: Inside T. Aziz Home during Lootings – video journalist, exclusive footage.

• UN Bombing, Interviews of Bodyguards of UN Representative - exclusive interviews.

• Profile of a Suicide Bomber in Sadr City – video journalist, exclusive story.

• Inside Fallujah with the Insurgents - first US Interview, CBS exclusive.

Video journalist for 60 Minutes

• Profile of M. Sadr. Exclusive interview. Bob Simon correspondent.

• Female Suicide Bombers in Israel. Bob Simon correspondent.

• Women inside Saudi Arabia. Ed Bradley correspondent.

• Gaza, exclusive interview with Hamas leader. Mike Wallace correspondent Illegal immigration in Mexico and Arizona. Ed Bradley correspondent.

Published Books

• Laurence Haïm, , Paris, La Martinière, 2002, 301 p. (ISBN 2-84675-039-4)
• Laurence Haïm, , Paris, La Martinière, 2003, 223 p. (ISBN 2-84675-041-6)
• Laurence Haïm, , Paris, Robert Laffont, 2007, 201 p. (ISBN 978-2-221-10619-8)
• Laurence Haïm, , Paris, Éditions du Moment, 2010, 232 p. (ISBN 978-2-35417-088-2)
• Laurence Haïm (photogr. Charles Ommanney), , Paris, Albin Michel, 2012, 173 p. (ISBN 978-2-226-20822-4)