Aziz Haniffa

Aziz Haniffa, the Editor of DesiMax, is a storied journalist who has covered the Indian American and South Asian American communities for nearly four decades.

Most recently, he was the Executive Editor and Chief Diplomatic and Political Correspondent of India Abroad — the oldest and largest paid circulating South Asian newspaper in North America. Out of Washington, he covered US-South Asia relations and the Indian American community for India Abroad for more than 30 years. Over the years he has scored many scoops and done thousands of exclusives, including interviews with US presidents, prime ministers, cabinet ministers, and US and South Asian lawmakers.

He was the only South Asian American print journalist to be part of the White House press delegation that accompanied President Clinton to India in 2000. He was also the first South Asian journalist to interview then-Sen. Barack Obama during the 2008 presidential campaign.

A regular South Asia analyst on CNN International, he has appeared frequently on other CNN programs, including Q & A, Insight, World Report, and also on MSNBC, PBS and C-Span. He has also been quoted in the New York Times, The Washington Post, The Wall Street Journal and several other American publications on US-South Asia issues and the Indian American community.

Aziz, who has a bachelor’s degree, double majoring in English and Economics and a master’s in political science and international affairs from George Washington University, has also been a regular media panelist on the National Defense University’s NESA Center in Washington, D.C.

Over the years, he has won several awards and accolades, including the Indian American Forum for Political Education’s Outstanding Journalist Award in 1991; the US-Asia Foundation’s Lifetime Service Award in 2001; Project Impact’s Creating a Voice Award in 2002; the Indian American Friendship Council’s Recognition of Excellence Award in 2003; the Indian American Community of Washington, D.C. area’s Distinguished Prabasi Sambad Sarovar Award (2004); the Indian American Friendship Council’s Most Outstanding Journalist of the Year Award (2006); and the US-Indian American Chamber of Commerce’s Journalist of the Year Award (2005); and the American India Foundation’s Special Recognition Award for Leadership in Journalism and Community Service (2015).

Aziz was also the first journalist to be honored with a special award by the Hindu American Foundation and the Sikh Council on Religion and Education for his objective reporting and analyses of the Hindu American and Sikh American communities. He also won a special award from the US-India Business Council and the US-India Friendship Council for his sustained reporting, analyses and commentary on the US-India civilian nuclear deal.