Karmel MelamedKarmel Melamed is an award winning internationally published journalist and attorney based in Los Angeles. Working as a journalist since 2000, he has given a new voice to the emerging and quite successful Iranian community— in particular the vibrant Iranian Jewish community living in the United States. He has also had extensive reporting covering issues relating to human rights abuses committed by the current Iranian regime. His articles have appeared in the Jewish Journal of Greater Los Angeles, the Jerusalem Post, JTA International Wire News Service, Beverly Hills 90210 Magazine, Beverly Hills Weekly, The Forward as well as a whole host of other publications.

Born in Iran at the brink of that country’s Islamic Revolution in 1978, Melamed and his family fled Iran as refugees to the U.S. He is fluent in Farsi and familiar with the Iranian mentality, culture and history. This unique background has enabled Melamed to cover Iran-related stories for English language news media outlets with a greater depth of analysis and in overcoming the language barrier on information flowing from Iran which average non-Iranian journalists have been unable to grasp. As a result, he has successfully interviewed various influential political and social leaders in the U.S., Israel and from Iran. In 2004 he landed an exclusive interview (one of only a few given in the U.S.) with Empress of Iran, Farah Pahlavi. Likewise he frequently appears on various radio news programs, including K.I.R.N. Radio Iran 670 AM, (the only Farsi language radio station on the AM dial in the free world) to discuss the contributions of the larger Iranian American community. Due to his expertise in all things Iranian, for more than a decade, Melamed has been interviewed by countless news media outlets and also served a consultant to an array of journalists covering Iran or Iranian related stories at NPR, CNN, CBS News and the Los Angeles Times. During the last several years Melamed has spoken to a number of social and political groups across the U.S. and Canada about the plight of religious minorities, women, children, homosexuals, union members, artists and journalists suffering significant human rights abuses at the hands of Iran regime today.

Melamed currently authors a popular blog online, webcast and podcast programs about the Iranian American community, both featured on jewishjournal.com.

Melamed has also received a number of journalism awards during the course of his career.

Video page: http://www.youtube.com/user/karmelmelamed

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