Christiane Amanpour is the child of an English mother
and an Iranian father. She was born in London, England but grew up in Tehran,
Iran. Her desire to become a journalist began when a revolution broke out in Iran and her
family went into exile. She received her college education at the University of
Rhode Island and studied journalism. After college she remained in Rhode Island
and started working as a radio reporter and producer for WBRU.
In 1983 she became an international reporter for CNN. In
1985, she reported form her home nation in Iran and this was where she begun to
be recognized. At this time, she also won the Dupont Award. Her international recognition
sparked when she reported the Bosnian crisis. During this crisis, she reported
about the difficult life for the people living in the area and uncovered the
harshness of the war. She has also reported news from places like Afghanistan,
Iraq, Iran, Pakistan, Somalia, Israel, Asia, and Rwanda.
As an international reporter Christiane Amanpour has
had the honor of interviewing top world leaders such as Hosni Mubarak Egypt’s
president, the British prime minister Tony Blair, and Hamid Karzai president of
Afghanistan. This was such an amazing experience for her because she could
discuss the issues of their country upfront which would help inform citizens of
what was to come and how their government was working to resolve their issues.
It also benefitted her as a journalist because she could focus on getting
factual information and reporting on it. Its one thing to go to a country and
observe the issues they are facing and it is another thing to discuss it with
leaders who have to deal with it each day. She also covered crisis of natural
disasters such as the earthquake in Haiti, the tsunami in Japan, and the
Hurricane Katrina.
As a journalist, she campaigns for active rights which
means she advocates for journalists’ rights and raises awareness of key global
issues. For example, she raised awareness for the Nigerian schoolgirls who were
abducted by Boko Haram on the BBC television and asked the British Prime Minister
David Cameron to play an active role in the campaign #BringBackOurGirls. This
shows how she is a journalist with the intention of making a difference and not
just exposing corrupt government or tragic events. I believe this makes her
standout because not only does report news but raises awareness about news so that
people in the necessary leadership positions can take action.
Christiane is a well-respected journalist and
currently works as a global affairs anchor for ABC news and provides international
analysis of important issues. She has won several awards for her outstanding
work as an international journalist.
What an awesome choice! Christiane Amanpour was literally one of MY heroes during my 20-year career in journalism. Because I was always interested in foreign affairs, I was shocked and dismayed in the 1990s when all the major news outlets started closing their foreign bureaus as a cost-cutting measure. There was a time when I felt like Christian Amanpour was literally the only person I could count on to keep me informed. She is brilliant, she is a great reporter, and she is always fair. I'm glad you got to know more about her through your research.
ReplyDeleteYour whole blog looks good and complete. I appreciate your dedication!