People worldwide called me ugly, mentally unstable and compared me to Hitler.

Did I get your attention? Great. Thanks for visiting my website!

I’m Lisa Khoury Gadelrab — an international multimedia journalist who is deeply passionate about in-depth storytelling. But that passion would have never ignited if it weren’t for the biggest mistake of my life.

When I was a sophomore at the University at Buffalo, I wrote an opinion article for The Spectrum about not liking tattoos. It went viral, triggering thousands to send me hate mail. After days of crying, I had an epiphany: if my words can affect people worldwide, what if I use them for good?

That became my life goal.

I went on to write national award-winning investigative stories for The Spectrum. But once I entered the real world — interning at ABC World News, and then producing at Spectrum News in Buffalo, I missed deep-dive investigations. So in April 2017, I quit my job and moved to Lebanon — my parents’ homeland — to be a freelance reporter.

Since then, I’ve covered the Syrian and Palestinian refugee crises for outlets like Al Jazeera, Vox, Washington Monthly and Times of Israel. Whether I’m writing about Syrian child brides or the Lebanese revolution — my goal is to take an in-depth approach and expose the truth.

Today, I work as a statewide producer for Spectrum News 1. I produce regional, nationwide, and global stories for markets across New York State. But I continue to pursue passion projects based out of Lebanon.

MEDIA:

🔺Allison Fine featured me in her book, “Matterness.”

🔺Professor Marcy Burstiner’s featured me in her textbook, “Investigative Reporting: From Premise to Publication.

🔺The “It’s All Journalism” podcast interviewed me about my leap to Lebanon.

🔺The University at Buffalo did a feature on my career — “From The Spectrum to Syria.”

🔺Political radio show host Arnie Arnesen invited me on her show to discuss my articles on Syrian refugees and the Lebanese revolution.

🔺"It’s All Journalism” interviewed me about my investigation into abused maids in Lebanon.

🔺Your Morning Buffalo invited me on their show to discuss Lebanon’s economic collapse.

AWARDS:

First place, In-Depth Reporting
Society of Professional Journalists Mark of Excellence Award (2013)

First place, In-Depth Reporting in Region 1
Society of Professional Journalists Mark of Excellence Award (2015)

Fourth place, Story of the Year
Associated Collegiate Press (2014)

First place, Investigative Reporting
Camayak Student Media competition (2014)