Alaa Elassar is a journalist with CNN Digital. She was a three-time intern for CNN before joining the International news desk after her work on the investigation behind Saudi journalist Jamal Khashoggi’s murder. She now writers for CNN Digital, covering stories ranging from human abuses in India, crime investigations in Australia, space, and everything in between. Alaa was also an intern and writer for the Atlanta Journal-Constitution where she was on both the legislative team working from the capitol bureau and the digital team, covering local stories all over Georgia. During her time with Storyful, a media and intelligence news agency, Alaa worked on stories including the weekly protests in Gaza, the Syrian conflict, and national and international politics. She graduated early from Georgia State University with two bachelor’s in political science and journalism and is now a Master’s student at Columbia University’s Graduate School of Journalism. Alaa is based in New York City.