Clockwise from top left: Lisa R. Cohen, Abi Wright, and Latif Nasser.
In the latest episode of On Assignment, Latif Nasser talks about his 2021 duPont-Columbia Award Finalist podcast series The Other Latif, in which he investigates the story of a man who shares his name: Abdul Latif Nasser. That Latif is identified by the U.S. Government as detainee 244 and has been held in Guantanamo Bay for almost 20 years. Throughout the series, Nasser investigates what the other Latif did or did not do, because while the government contends he was one of Al Qaeda’s top explosives experts and an advisor to Osama bin Laden, his lawyers maintain he was just in the wrong place at the wrong time.
In this conversation with duPont Awards Director Lisa R. Cohen and Executive Director of Prizes Abi Wright, Nasser discusses the challenges of reporting on Guantanamo Bay, reveals how he initially found this story via a tweet, and reflects on his own identity as a Muslim living in the United States.
The 2021 duPont-Columbia Award virtual ceremony is around the corner! A full list of finalists is available here. The winners will be announced on February 9 at 8pm ET. Watch the ceremony live on duPont.org or on PBS digital channels.