1988-1992 he worked for ICARDA ( International Center for Agricultural Researches in Dry Areas ) , in STIP department ( Scientific and Technical Information Program ) as The Day ( Al Yaoum ) press release auditor Wedeman was originally hired by CNN as a local Jordanian employee in 1994 . The job title was " fixer/producer/sound technician " ; one of his duties was to help reporting staff get through checkpoints , since he is fluent in multiple dialects of Arabic . He eventually rose to be CNN 's Bureau Chief in Amman . From 1998 to 2006 , Cairo , Egypt , Wedeman was CNN 's bureau chief in Cairo , where he led CNN 's coverage of the uprising against then-President Hosni Mubarak as well as the wider unrest in the Middle East . In 2009 , CNN appointed Kevin Flower as their Jerusalem bureau chief and appointed Wedeman as that bureau 's correspondent . In October 2000 , Wedeman was shot in the back while covering a clash between Palestinians and Israelis near the Karni border crossing between Gaza and Israel . Following the September 11 attacks , Wedeman was one of the first journalists to gain access to Iraq prior to the Iraq War . He was the only Western journalist granted access for an interview with Uday Hussein
September 11 attacks
September 11 attacks
Ben Wedeman