The book A Reporter’s Story (Storia di un reporter), which chronicles the life and professional journey of Talal Khrais, President of the Italian-Arab Friendship Association Assadakah, freelance correspondent for Armenia’s Armenpress News Agency and correspondent for Lebanon’s National News Agency (NNA), was presented in Rome at an event attended by representatives of Italy’s political, diplomatic and journalistic circles.
Based on conversations with Andrea Cucco, the book recounts Talal Khrais’s life. Published by the Italian publishing house Difesa Online, it sees the journalist, who has worked in Italy and at the Holy See for decades, look back on significant moments in his personal life and professional career, sharing his experiences working in different countries, his memories of wars, political developments and encounters, and the many recollections he has gathered over the years. The foreword was written by Italian Senator Stefania Craxi, President of the Forza Italia parliamentary group in the Senate.
On November 3, the event took place at the headquarters of the Foreign Press Association in Italy, housed in the historic Palazzo Grazioli in Rome. It brought together representatives of Italy’s political, diplomatic and journalistic circles. Among those attending were Vladimir Karapetyan, Ambassador Extraordinary and Plenipotentiary of the Republic of Armenia to Italy; Senator Stefania Craxi; Carla Jazzar, Ambassador of Lebanon to Italy; Asmahan Abdulhamid Al-Toqi, Ambassador of Yemen to Italy; Patricia Thomas, President of the Foreign Press Association in Italy and an Associated Press correspondent; Fabio Squillante, Director of the Agenzia Nova news agency; and Andrea Cucco, who worked on the preparation of the book.
The gathering was more than a book presentation. It provided an opportunity to recognize a journalist’s professional journey, his firsthand accounts of historical events, and the human relationships and connections he has built over the years through his work in different countries and with different societies.
Stefania Craxi: a journalist’s personal story in the context of Middle Eastern history
The address by Italian Senator Stefania Craxi, who wrote the book’s foreword, was one of the highlights of the event. She viewed Talal Khrais’s life story in the context of the historical and political developments in the Middle East, addressing key issues facing the region and emphasizing the importance of continuity and a long-term approach in Italy’s foreign policy in the Mediterranean.
In her assessment, the book is more than the biography of a Lebanese journalist. It also portrays an entire era, with its conflicts, political events, human destinies and the complexities of international relations. Khrais has not merely reported on these events: he has witnessed them firsthand, met those involved and, through his professional work, documented the testimony of his time.
For his part, Talal Khrais recalled his childhood in Beirut, his first steps into journalism and his ties with the Armenian community. He also spoke about the challenges facing contemporary journalism, stressing the importance of an in-depth understanding of the history, political realities and social conditions of the countries journalists report on.
The event was moderated by Patricia Thomas, President of the Foreign Press Association in Italy and an Associated Press correspondent.
Vladimir Karapetyan: a conscious choice to stand close to Armenia
The longstanding connection between Talal Khrais and Armenia received particular attention during the event.
In his address, Vladimir Karapetyan, Ambassador of the Republic of Armenia to Italy, emphasized that Khrais’s connection with Armenia and the Armenian people goes beyond journalistic interest. It is the result of a conscious choice made over the years, respect for historical memory and sincere devotion to the Armenian people.
The ambassador traced the beginnings of this connection to Khrais’s adolescence, when he was sixteen and living in Beirut. Since then, the history and fate of the Armenian people have become an important focus of his intellectual, public and journalistic interests.
Over the years, this interest has developed into sustained work. It has found _expression_ in his publications on Armenian topics, his efforts to raise awareness of the history and culture of the Armenian people, and his activities aimed at strengthening ties between the Armenian and Italian peoples.
The ambassador also recalled an important milestone in Khrais’s work: in 2023, President of the Republic of Armenia Vahagn Khachaturyan awarded him the Medal of Gratitude in recognition of his significant contribution to strengthening and developing friendly relations between Armenia and Italy, as well as to the preservation of Armenian identity.
The state award was an _expression_ of appreciation for years of consistent work and the special bond he has forged with the Armenian people.
Narine Nazaryan: kindness creates a chain of kindness
In this context, particular significance is also attached to the foreword contributed to the book by Narine Nazaryan, Director of Armenpress News Agency, under the title Armenian by Choice (Armeno per scelta). It tells the story of how Talal Khrais’s connection with the Armenian people developed, from the Armenian community in Beirut and the editorial office of the Armenian newspaper Zartonk to his longstanding cooperation and friendship with Armenia. It is a story of a bond shaped not by ancestry but over the course of a lifetime, through people, destinies, values and conscious choice.
“I am not ethnically Armenian, but I am Armenian by choice.” These words, which also form the central idea of the foreword, best capture Khrais’s attitude towards Armenia and the Armenian people.
The foreword also emphasizes that the trust and support extended to a person at a particular moment in life can have a decisive impact on the path they take thereafter. The kindness one receives can, years later, become a sense of responsibility and an awareness of the need to make one’s own contribution. In this sense, Khrais’s story is also about how a personal choice can become a mission and years of work can become a legacy.
Carla Jazzar: professional achievements and personal qualities
In her remarks, Carla Jazzar, Ambassador of Lebanon to Italy, spoke about Talal Khrais’s journalistic work and his contribution to bringing Lebanese and Arab issues to international audiences.
The ambassador highlighted Khrais’s role in strengthening dialogue between peoples, noting that his professional work has consistently been driven not only by the aim of conveying information but also by a desire to foster mutual understanding between people and societies.
She also spoke about Khrais’s personal qualities, his relationships with colleagues and his willingness to stand by people beyond the demands of his professional responsibilities.
Khrais’s international career has not severed his ties with Lebanon and the Arab world. On the contrary, throughout his years working in different countries, these ties have remained an important part of his journalistic identity.
Asmahan Al-Toqi: the human side of a journalist’s professional life
Asmahan Abdulhamid Al-Toqi, Ambassador of Yemen to Italy, also addressed the gathering. In her assessment, Khrais’s journalistic work goes beyond the fulfilment of professional duties. He stays in touch with colleagues, follows the issues that matter to him, is ready to support friends facing difficulties and keeps issues requiring public attention in focus.
Her remarks once again highlighted that a journalist’s value is measured not only by the stories they produce and the events they cover, but also by the trust and human relationships they build through their work.
The book is not an ordinary autobiography. Its value also lies in the way it uses personal memories to bring readers closer to historical events of recent decades, allowing them to see these events not only through the lens of political processes but also through the eyes of the people who lived through them.
A journalist is not merely an observer of events. A journalist is a witness to their time, a chronicler and a witness to history. Encounters with people, their stories and experiences become not only part of a journalist’s professional experience but also part of historical memory.
In an era of rapid information flows and a constantly changing media environment, it is particularly important not to lose sight of journalism’s fundamental mission: the accurate recording of facts, in-depth inquiry, responsibility and the preservation of historical memory.
For years, a journalist tells the stories of other people’s lives, struggles, achievements and hardships. And when the time comes for others to tell the journalist’s story, another, no less important result of their work comes into view: the mark they have left on people’s lives.
The event in Rome was precisely such an occasion. A Reporter’s Story recounts the path Talal Khrais has travelled, while the testimonies included in the book and the remarks made by participants at its presentation add further dimensions to that story, revealing the human values and connections that have become an integral part of his professional life over the years.