Yahya Salem joins CNN Creators team
Doha, November 5th, 2026. Yahya Salem has joined the CNN Creators line-up as a Producer.
Alongside the rest of the Creators team, Salem will report on the stories shaping culture and conversation from CNN’s state-of-the-art facility in Doha, Qatar.
His reporting with CNN spans conflicts in the Middle East, Muslim communities in the US, and pop culture. He has also explored the intersection of culture and photography, from Polynesian surf traditions and Palestinian Bedouin communities to life in remote Arctic regions.
As bilingual journalist, Salem also produces digital and social media content for CNN Arabic, covering US news relevant to Arabic-speaking audiences, including foreign policy, immigration, and civil liberties.
He previously worked as a researcher with CNN FactCheck in Atlanta, where he vetted CNN content for accurate, clarity and fairness. In that role, he contributed to CNN’s award-winning coverage of stories such as the Israel-Hamas war and the Ukraine-Russia war, as well as its award-winning series The Whole Story.
Prior to joining CNN, Salem worked as a reporter for PBS Chicago, covering arts and culture, local politics, and education.
He graduated from the Medill School of Journalism at Northwestern University.
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