Nada Abdelsamad is a veteran journalist, media trainer, researcher, and independent media consultant with nearly 35 years of experience covering conflict, politics, and social change across Lebanon and the wider Middle East.

A former BBC Arabic Beirut Editor and Bureau Chief, she led some of the BBC’s most influential Arabic-language television, radio, and digital programs, reporting from the ground on wars, uprisings, elections, and regional power struggles. Her work included coverage of landmark Middle East diplomacy, notably the Arab–Israeli negotiations in Washington, D.C. following the Madrid Conference, as well as the signing of the Oslo Agreement at the White House. She currently works as an independent media consultant and serves as Chief Editorial Advisor for the Qarib programme, part of CFI (Canal France Internationale).

Nada’s work combines frontline journalism with deep cultural and historical inquiry. This is most notably reflected in her award-winning BBC documentary The Jews of Lebanon, and in her recent book When the Jewish Bakeries Went Dark in Wadi Abu Jamil, which chronicles the life and disappearance of Beirut’s historic Jewish quarter. She has also produced podcasts and documentaries focusing on youth in the aftermath of the Arab uprisings and on women’s experiences in the Syrian revolution.

Nada holds a Doctorate in Journalism from City, University of London, where her research focused on the role of media in sectarian and divided societies.

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