George Maxwell Alagiah is a Tamil-born British journalist. He is the son of an engineer and has four siblings. He was born in Sri Lanka, an island nation off the southern coast of India, in 1955. He graduated from Durham University with a degree in political science, where he initially became interested in journalism. Alagiah joined the BBC as a reporter after nearly a decade as a print journalist. His journalism was influenced by his interest in humanitarian endeavors. He reported explosive tales that startled the globe as one of the BBC’s top international reporters. Documentaries and interviews with notable figures such as Nelson Mandela and Robert Mugabe have also been part of his work. He is well recognized for being the host of various BBC News shows. His work has continually provided honesty to television journalism for almost 25 years. Unfortunately, while receiving cancer treatment, Alagiah was forced to leave his job at the BBC. He is the author of two books, writes for a number of British publications, and has won several accolades for his work as a journalist. Alagiah is also a philanthropist who attends literary festivals and is on the board of the Royal Shakespeare Company, Britain’s top theatrical company.
Childhood and Adolescence
On November 22, 1955, George Alagiah was born in Sri Lanka to Donald and Therese Alagiah. Mari, Rachel, Christine, and Jennifer are her four sisters, and he is the third of their five children. His parents went to Ghana, West Africa, when he was six years old to flee persecution. He enrolled in ‘Christ the King International,’ a primary school there. He attended secondary school at ‘St. John’s College’ in Portsmouth, England, beginning in 1966.
He graduated from ‘Van Mildert College’ at ‘Durham University’ with a degree in political science.
Career of George Alagiah
As a writer and editor for the student newspaper ‘Palatinate,’ Alagiah gained experience in the journalistic business on a modest scale during his time at university. He worked for ‘South Magazine’ from 1982 to 1989. He began his career as an African correspondent in Zimbabwe before being elevated to editor.
Alagiah was stationed in London as the BBC’s first “developing world” reporter after joining the organization. He was eventually assigned to the South African division as a journalist in Johannesburg. He wrote articles on genocide in Rwanda, civil strife in the Middle East, and terrorist assaults in New York City as a foreign reporter.
He worked as a deputy anchor for ‘BBC News at One’ and ‘BBC News at Nine’ beginning in 1999. In 2002, he created an international news section for ‘BBC Four’ in order to raise public awareness of the oppressed’s predicament. His debut novel, ‘A Passage to Africa,’ earned the ‘Madoc Award’ at the ‘Hay Literary Festival’ the same year.
He was appointed to co-anchor of ‘BBC News at Six’ in the beginning of 2003. ‘A Home From Home,’ his second novel, is on the immigrant experience. In 2006, it was released. In 2007, he took over as the only news anchor for ‘BBC News at Six,’ as well as hosting ‘GMT with George Alagiah’ for ‘BBC World.’ Alagiah was diagnosed with colorectal cancer in April 2014 and took a leave of absence from the BBC to receive treatment.
Major Projects of George Alagiah
‘Shaking the Foundations,’ a collection of articles written by journalists who covered the pandemonium of the September 11th terrorist attacks in the United States, included material from Alagiah.
Achievements & Awards
In 1993, the ‘Royal Television Society’ honoured him with an award for outstanding international reporting. In 1994, he received the “Amnesty International UK Media Award” for outstanding television journalist. In 1998, he was named ‘Media Personality of the Year’ by the ‘Ethnic Minority Media.’ A ‘Bayeux Award’ for combat reporting was also given to the illustrious journalist.
For their coverage of the Kosovo crisis, Alagiah and his crew received a ‘BAFTA in 2000.’ Of 2008, he was appointed an officer in the ‘Organization of the British Empire,’ an English chivalric order. In 2010, he was honored for excellent performance in television at the ‘Asian Awards,’ which honors the achievements of South Asian leaders.
Personal History and Legacy
In 1984, Alagiah married Frances Robathan and they have two boys, Adam and Matthew. From 2002 until 2009, he was an active member of the ‘Fairtrade Foundation,’ until the BBC forced him to quit owing to a conflict of interest.
For more than a decade, he supported the ‘Parenting UK organization.’ His grandparents spoke one of the oldest classical languages still spoken today. The eminent voyage is a component of one of the world’s oldest cultural groupings that does not have a native nation. He has repeatedly spoken about the merits of a national healthcare system, while coming from a poor family.
Estimated Net Worth
George Alagiah is one of the wealthiest TV show hosts and one of the most popular. George Alagiah’s net worth is estimated to be $1.5 million, according to Wikipedia, Forbes, and Business Insider.
Trivia
One of his coworkers received a lot of flak for jokingly comparing this person’s physical appearance to that of a monkey.