Aurora Almendral
Monday, April 30, 2018
Topic: The Philippines and the Age of Populism
Aurora Almendral is a freelance foreign correspondent, currently a stringer for The New York Times in Manila, a contributing writer for National Geographic Magazine and the producer/reporter for NBC News, covering breaking news in the Philippines and working on features for TV, as well as reporting short digital documentaries around the world.
Aurora has reported on disaster, climate change, human trafficking, immigration, economic development, politics, crime and culture. She was among the first foreign journalists to cover the violent drug war in the Philippines, and has gone on to produce expansive work on the subject, from its effects on communities to a profile on the 5-star general running the drug war. Aurora co-directed a 22-minute documentary tracing the human cost of the brutal policy. Aurora’s work has been published or broadcast in the New York Times, BBC World Service, National Geographic Magazine, PRI’s The World, NPR News, NBC News, NBC Left Field and VICE News, among others.
In 2018, Aurora’s work was recognized by an Overseas Press Club Andelman Award for International Reporting and a Pictures of the Year International award for Documentary Journalism. In 2017, she received a regional Edward R. Murrow Award for News Documentary.
Originally from New York, Aurora graduated magna cum laude in economics and anthropology. She was a Fulbright scholar to Spain and Morocco. Before becoming a journalist, she worked in socioeconomic development at the United Nations and at a startup in New York. She speaks English natively, as well as Filipino, Spanish, Moroccan Arabic and Modern Standard Arabic.