Looking for something specific but not sure exactly when it happened? Interested in checking out
Michael's work but unsure where to begin? This page will hopefully give you a starting point.
I have compiled a list of Michael's biggest reports and most interesting bits of insight.
In many cases, I have listed only one of several clips airing on one day.
Each calendar year is self-contained within the list,
and the dates above anchor to the start of that section.
- April 27 - announcement that he is leaving CNN in order to deal with his PTSD
- April 30 - CNN offers a one-year medical leave of absence
- May 13 - speaks to journalism students at Queensland University of Technology
- May 31 - interview on ABC Radio in Brisbane
- September 13 - part one of Australian Story doc about Michael
- September 20 - part two of Australian Story
* * * * *
- February 8 - appears on Fareed Zakaria GPS as part of a panel discussing Iraq
- February 10 - quoted in Thomas Ricks' book The Gamble
- February 20 - first report from Mexico, his new 'beat'
- February 26 - prepared piece on the cartel war in Mexico
- May 21 - AC360 special, "Extreme Challenges: The Next 100 Days"
- June 23 - International's BackStory airs a multi-part interview * Part 2 * Part 3 * Part 4 *
- June 29 - Sovereignty Day in Iraq
- June 30 - a look at one of the handover ceremonies * BackStory report *
- July 1 - discussion on Afghanistan and Iraq
- July 4 - spends Fourth of July at FOB Hammer * more * BackStory report *
- July 9 - a look at the release of Iranians held by US forces prior to the handover
- July 9 - exclusive report from Pakistan regarding an offer to bring the Taliban to the table for negotiations
- July 13 - the first international football game since 2003 * BackStory report *
- July 15 - a series of bombings targets Christian churches in Baghdad
- July 24 - talks about the American soldier held hostage by the Taliban
- July 30 - transcript of his talk in Los Angeles * my interview *
- July 30 - Witness to War
- July 31 - appears on Real Time with Bill Maher
- August 5 - a report on the Mexican drug cartel known as Los Zetas
- August 6 - a profile of the head of the Sinaloa cartel, "El Chapo" Guzman
- August 10 - a BackStory interview about the situation in Iraq
- August 10 - a look at how the Mexican cartels are diversifying into other 'businesses'
- August 12 - discusses the Afghan elections * also August 18 * and August 19 *
- September 2-13 - reports from Afghanistan
- December 1 - uses the Magic Map to show where American troops are in Afghanistan
- December 2 - some blunt talk on what it will take to get out of Afghanistan
- December 10 - back in Juarez, reporting on a bloody night of murder
- December 17 - profiles Roy Hallums, an American held captive in Iraq for almost a year
- December 18 - final appearance of 2009, discussing the death of a cartel boss
* * * * *
- February 12-18 - in Pakistan to cover the parliamentary elections
- February 16 - hosts a 30-minute special for CNN/International, Pakistan's Vital Vote
- February 26 - appears on AC360 and sums up the impossibility of a troop withdrawal from Iraq, no matter who wins the election
- March 3 - looks back on the 2-day visit by Iranian president Mahmoud Ahmadinejad
- March 20 - AC360 special "Shock & Awe: Five Years Later" airs
- March 21 - another appearance on Real Time with Bill Maher
- March 25 - in London, comments on Basra battles; birthday
- April 2 - speaks at Center for American Progress in DC
- April 3 - speaks at the Middle East Institute in DC
- April 7 - Iraq: Inside the Surge airs, his second special for International
- April 8 - covers the Petraeus/Crocker hearings on Capitol Hill
- April 10 - interviews General Petraeus
- May 13 - gains exclusive access to Sadr City during the siege
- May 17 - reports on an American soldier who used a Holy Quran for target practice
- May 29 - challenges the presidential front-runners to give him 20 minutes to give them a real picture of what is happening in Iraq
- June 12 - exclusive coverage of a treasure-trove of documents detailing the inner workings of al Qaeda in Iraq
- June 13 - a new wrinkle in the Status of Forces Agreement negotiations: Iraq may decide to "go it alone"
- June 15 - part of a panel discussion on Fareed Zakaria GPS regarding the current status of Iraq and what is to come
- August 14-22 - reports from the Republic of Georgia after Russia invades
- September 27 - discusses what the presidential candidates are not saying about Iraq
- September 27 - what challenges will the next president face?
- October 25 - MTV/IAVA Concert for Vets, "Back From the Battle" special
- November 5 - morning-after reaction to the US presidential election
- November 15 - some honest answers to what it's like to live/work in Baghdad
- November 17 - "Memo to the President" on Iraq
- November 28 - AC360 special "Extreme Challenges: President Obama" airs
- December 4 - contract workers imprisoned in Baghdad
- December 12 - interview in Men's Journal magazine
- December 15 - Iraqi journalist throws his shoes at President Bush in Baghdad
- December 16 - Obama's War in Iraq
* * * * *
- January 23 - Michael returns from holiday to give commentary on the State of the Union address
- January 30 - AC360 special "Iraq: The Hidden Wars" airs
- January 31 - back in Baghdad and interviewing Prime Minister al-Maliki
- February 5 - revealing the terrorist in parliament
- February 15 - what is the Quds Force?
- February 21 - a harrowing look at daily life in Baghdad
- March 6 - trying to shut the CIA out of Iraq
- March 27 - the start of Ware vs McCain
- March 29 - after a trip to Anbar, the first mention of tribal leaders again rising up against al Qaeda
- April 2 - reaction to the asinine internet rumor
- April 5 - a report on the Mujahedeen-e-khalq
- April 9 - on the fourth anniversary of the fall of Baghdad, Muqtada calls for a 'Day of Unity'
- April 20 - back from an embed in Diyala
- April 25 - in NYC, first mention of the possibility of settling for less than democracy in Iraq
- April 26 - why setting a date for withdrawal is a bad idea
- May 1 - podcast (with Tommy Evans) about working in Baghdad
- May 21 - in Brisbane, a discussion of media war coverage
- June 20 - back in Baghdad, reporting during World Refugee Day
- June 28 - interviewed by Hala Gorani in Baghdad about the surge
- July 1 - exclusive report about a Hezbollah bomb-maker caught in Iraq
- July 9 - the Iraqi government will not meet the benchmarks set by the US
- July 12 - empowering the Sunnis
- July 19 - footage from Anbar about the Sunni uprising
- July 24 - the president says "al Qaeda" 95 times in a speech
- July 31 - back in Diyala for another embed
- August 13 - sectarian killings are down
- August 15 - footage from the Diyala River Valley embed
- August 15 - massive truck bomb in northern Iraq kills more than 500 people
- August 22 - no democracy for Iraq?
- September 10 - the trip to Anbar
- September 12 - exclusive interview with the Iranian ambassador to Iraq
- September 13 - reaction to the president's speech; burying the dead
- September 14 - from the Green Zone; final day of AC360 week in Iraq
- October 4-20 - covering the Rugby World Cup for CNN/I
- October 30 - speaking to the Middle East Institute in Washington DC
- November 10 - "It truly is a blessing, the Iraq that I've returned to."
- November 29 - the Sunni 'uprising' reaches Baghdad
- December 7 - the Shia have their own 'uprising' in Baghdad
* * * * *
- February 21 - appears on Frontline episode re the insurgency
- March 12 - appears on 60 Minutes to discuss Battle of Tal'Afar
- April 4 - again discusses insurgents' willingness to host American bases "akin to Germany and Japan"
- May 1 - Australian magazine publishes his gritty, grim reflection of reporting in Iraq
- May 21 - Time cover story, embedded with Marines in Ramadi; video shot during this will be shown in September 27 CNN report
- June 8 - just one week after joining CNN, is interviewed from Brisbane on Zarqawi's death; reports continue on TSR, PZN, and AC360
- July 24-August 11 - covers the Israel/Lebanon war from the Lebanese side
- July 31 - reports on al Qaeda in Lebanon
- August 1 - Lebanese people running out of day-to-day supplies
- August 2 - video of his trip to Baalbeck in the Bekaa Valley
- August 2 - after 48-hour ceasefire, bombing resumes while he is on-air
- August 3 - bombardment continues
- August 7 - a look at where the bombs fell
- August 9 - reports from Zahle, Lebanon, in the Bekaa Valley
- August 11 - UN-escorted convoy of civilians leaves Marjayoun, Lebanon
- August 11 - convoy comes under attack
- September 20 - interviews al Qaeda in Iraq commanders; also first mention of oil sales being used to fund AQI
- October 18 - highly controversial airing of the sniper video
- November 2 - a look inside Sadr City
- November 22 - trip to one of Baghdad's morgues
- November 23 - Sadr City explodes in violence
- November 28 - shows tailfin of Iranian-made mortar fired from Sadr City last week
- December 29 - from Brisbane, comments on Saddam's execution
* * * * *
- January 26 - bombing of Australian embassy across the street from al-Hamra Hotel (& Time house)
- February 28 - first mention of negotiations between US and insurgents, as well as willingness of insurgents to host American bases in Iraq
- August 22 - first in-depth article re Iran's influence -- shaped-charges, etc
- September 26 - Battle of Tal'Afar [Time cover story]
- November 28 - "they are clearly lying, whether they know it or not"
- December 5 - with the Blue Platoon in Ramadi
- December 5 - thoughts on rolling back de-Baathification
- December 12 - the Sunnis offer a deal to stop AQI/Zarqawi
* * * * *
- July 5 - first long profile on Zarqawi; insurgents turning fundamentalist
- July 6 - Brent Sadler's report on Michael receiving videotape from insurgents -- Michael's own write-up is here
- August 30 - Haifa Street becomes a killzone
- September 27 - article about being grabbed by Zarqawi's men on Haifa Street
- November 22 - report on the second Battle of Fallujah [Time cover story]
- November 24 - 33-minute radio interview conducted two weeks after Fallujah
* * * * *
- February 26 - describes witnessing carbombing
- August 30 - Courier-Mail article re life in Baghdad
- October 20 - details of how we infiltrated Saddam's networks
- December 15 - the insurgency starts to coalesce
- December 19 - reaction to Saddam's capture
* * * * *
- January 9 - hunting for Mullah Omar
- March 23 - crosses into Pakistan to meet Taliban
- March 25 - al Qaeda and Taliban fighters slip away to fight again
- May 18 - interviewed at Sydney Fashion Week, reflects on cultural differences
- November 18 - Afghanistan slipping out of US control