Zeba Warsi is an award-winning broadcast journalist from India, currently based in Washington D.C., where she serves as a foreign affairs producer and reporter for PBS NewsHour. Known for her impactful storytelling and a focus on underreported global events, Warsi has built a career spanning continents and covering a wide range of critical topics, from conflict and human rights to gender and social justice.
A graduate of Columbia University’s Graduate School of Journalism with a Master’s degree in Political Journalism, Warsi’s career began in India. For eight years, she worked as a special correspondent for CNN-News18 in New Delhi, where she established herself as a formidable reporter. Her work during this time covered a spectrum of issues, including India’s evolving political landscape, the rise of populist nationalism, and cases of religious and sexual violence.
Her transition to PBS NewsHour marked a shift to international and foreign affairs reporting. In this role, Warsi has been at the forefront of major global stories. Her recent noteworthy contributions include on-the-ground reporting on the war in Gaza, the crisis in Sudan, and the devastating earthquakes in Turkey and Syria. For these assignments, she has been responsible for producing and reporting broadcast segments and digital content that provide vital context and a human perspective on complex conflicts. She has also contributed long-form investigations for the Pulitzer Centre, including reports on the Russia-Ukraine war’s impact on vulnerable populations and the plight of Syrian refugees.
Warsi’s dedication to impactful journalism has been recognised with numerous prestigious awards and honours. In 2024, she was part of the PBS NewsHour team that received a Peabody Award for their comprehensive coverage of the war in Gaza and Israel, a testament to her role in producing crucial foreign correspondence. The same year, she won a South Asian Journalists Association (SAJA) Award for an in-depth investigation into sexual assault allegations within U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) detention centres.
Her accolades also include the 2021 UNFPA Laadli Award for Gender Sensitivity, recognising her report on the feminist undertones of protest movements in India. She was named the 2020 ENBA Young Professional of the Year and received a Special Mention in the 2019 Red Ink Awards for an investigative report on child trafficking. These honours collectively highlight her versatility and commitment to journalistic excellence across diverse subject matters.
Beyond her professional achievements, Warsi’s family background has been a significant influence on her career. Hailing from a family of poets and writers, she was raised in a home that valued storytelling and empathy. Her grandfather was a renowned Urdu scholar, and her father, a writer at heart, instilled in her a strong sense of idealism and a desire to contribute positively to society. While her mother initially encouraged a more conventional career path, she has since become Warsi’s biggest fan. This upbringing shaped Warsi’s personal philosophy, driving her to seek out stories that give voice to the marginalised and hold power to account, a mission she fulfils through her compelling and empathetic journalism.