Josh Rushing is an American broadcast journalist and photographer. He is a correspondent for the Emmy-winning documentary series,
Fault Lines, on
Al Jazeera English
Al Jazeera English (AJE; ar, الجزيرة, translit=al-jazīrah, , literally "The Peninsula", referring to the Qatar Peninsula) is an international 24-hour English-language news channel owned by the Al Jazeera Media Network, which is own ...
. He is also a former officer of the
United States Marine Corps (USMC).
Early life
Rushing was born in
Lewisville, Texas
Lewisville ( ) is a city in the U.S. state of Texas, predominantly within Denton County with a small part lying within Dallas County. As a suburban community within the Dallas–Fort Worth metroplex, the 2020 census tabulated a population of 111 ...
in 1972.
Career
Military service
Rushing enlisted in the
United States Marine Corps in 1990 and completed basic training at the
Marine Corps Recruit Depot San Diego,
California.
He was selected for
Public Affairs and attended the
Defense Information School (DINFOS) in 1991. He was selected for th
Marine Enlisted Commissioning Education Program (MECEP)and studied at the
University of Texas at Austin where he received a dual degree in Ancient History and Classic Civilization in 1999. Rushing became a
Mustang upon his graduation from UT and moved to
Quantico, Virginia, to further his military officer training at
The Basic School (TBS). Though slated to be a Marine Corps aviator at TBS, a hearing loss prevented Rushing from completing flight school. Instead, he returned to Public Affairs and reported to
Marine Corps Air Station Miramar
Marine Corps Air Station Miramar (MCAS Miramar) , formerly Naval Auxiliary Air Station (NAAS) Miramar and Naval Air Station (NAS) Miramar, is a United States Marine Corps installation that is home to the 3rd Marine Aircraft Wing, which is the av ...
in San Diego, California. Rushing moved to
Los Angeles in 2002 where he represented the Marine Corps in Hollywood in th
Marine Corps Motion Picture and Television Liaison Office
Aware of future military operations in the Middle East, Rushing volunteered to deploy with forward units before the
invasion of Iraq in 2003. Rushing was assigned to
United States Central Command (CENTCOM) in
Doha, Qatar, during
Operation Iraqi Freedom
{{Infobox military conflict
, conflict = Iraq War {{Nobold, {{lang, ar, حرب العراق (Arabic) {{Nobold, {{lang, ku, شەڕی عێراق (Kurdish languages, Kurdish)
, partof = the Iraq conflict (2003–present), I ...
where he served as a spokesperson to
General Tommy Franks
Tommy Ray Franks (born 17 June 1945) is a retired general in the United States Army. His last army post was as the Commander of the United States Central Command, overseeing United States military operations in a 25-country region, including the ...
. Unbeknownst to him, an independent film,
''Control Room'', captured his efforts to communicate the American message on
Al Jazeera Arabic
Al Jazeera ( ar, الجزيرة, translit-std=DIN, translit=al-jazīrah, , "The Island") is a state-owned Arabic-language international radio and TV broadcaster of Qatar. It is based in Doha and operated by the media conglomerate Al Jazeera M ...
. The documentary debuted at the
Sundance Film Festival
The Sundance Film Festival (formerly Utah/US Film Festival, then US Film and Video Festival) is an annual film festival organized by the Sundance Institute. It is the largest independent film festival in the United States, with more than 46,66 ...
in 2004 and enjoyed theatrical release across the world. After the Pentagon ordered him not to comment on the film, he left the Marine Corps after 14 years of active duty service in October 2004 and later helped start Al Jazeera English in 2005.
Broadcasting work
Rushing has been with Al Jazeera English since the run-up to its launch. As an international correspondent, Rushing has hosted and produced programs all over the world. So far in 2011 Rushing has filmed two ''Fault Lines'' episodes in
Mexico - "Mexico: Impunity and Profits", and "Mexico's Hidden War" - plus a third in Colombia. He has also traveled to
Iraq, for the eighth time, to provide special news coverage marking the 6-month milestone before the planned withdrawal of the U.S. military.
Writings
Rushing’s book, ''Mission Al Jazeera: Build a Bridge, Seek the Truth, Change the World'', was published by Palgrave-MacMillan in 2007. The book blends his personal story with a unique behind-the-scenes look into the controversial AlJazeera broadcast networks. Rushing is also published in ''Reader's Digest''s 10th Anniversary of 9/11 special edition.
Rushing blogged regularly for AJE and the ''
Huffington Post
''HuffPost'' (formerly ''The Huffington Post'' until 2017 and sometimes abbreviated ''HuffPo'') is an American progressive news website, with localized and international editions. The site offers news, satire, blogs, and original content, and ...
'' before beginning his own online journal.
Personal life
He is married, with a daughter and four sons.
Notes
References
;Books
*
External links
Josh Rushing Official WebsiteOfficial ''Control Room'' Website*
USA Today, September 28, 2005
The Education of Lieutenant Rushing Mother Jones, November/December 2006
Al Jazeera's (Global) Mission Fast Company, April 2006
Al Jazeera Hires an Ex-Marine Time magazine, September 27, 2005
Marine Lands in Film, Collides With Superiors Los Angeles Times, August 2, 2004
Democracy Now! interview June 20, 2007
{{DEFAULTSORT:Rushing, Josh
Living people
1972 births
United States Marine Corps officers
United States Marine Corps personnel of the Iraq War
American male journalists
Al Jazeera people
American public relations people
Writers from Texas