Christiane Amanpour
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Who is Christiane Amanpour?
Christiane Amanpour, born in London in 1958, is a renowned English-born journalist. She gained prominence as a war reporter for CNN in the late 20th and early 21st centuries. Later, she hosted ABC's This Week (2010–11) and PBS's Amanpour & Company (2018– ).
Amanpour's career took off at CNN, where she covered the pro-democracy movement in Eastern Europe and the Persian Gulf War. Her reporting on the Bosnian conflict brought the war's brutality to global attention. She has also contributed to CBS's 60 Minutes and produced in-depth documentaries for CNN, such as Where Have All the Parents Gone? and In the Footsteps of bin Laden.
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What is Christiane Amanpour known for in journalism?
Christiane Amanpour is an English-born journalist renowned as a leading war reporter for CNN in the late 20th and early 21st centuries. She gained prominence covering conflicts such as the Persian Gulf War and the Bosnian War, bringing global attention to the violence in Bosnia and Herzegovina. Later, she broadened her career, hosting ABC's This Week and PBS's Amanpour & Company. Amanpour has also produced in-depth documentaries and received numerous honors, including a Commander of the Order of the British Empire (CBE) in 2007.
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Where has Christiane Amanpour reported from during her career?
During her career, Christiane Amanpour has reported from many locations, often covering significant conflicts and events. She gained recognition reporting on the pro-democracy movement in eastern Europe while stationed in Frankfurt, West Germany.
Amanpour covered the Persian Gulf War from the Iraqi invasion of Kuwait to the U.S.-led coalition triumph. After the war, she reported on the Kurdish uprising in northern Iraq. In 1992, she went to Bosnia and Herzegovina to cover the violence there.
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What major world events has Christiane Amanpour covered?
Christiane Amanpour is a journalist known for her war reporting. She gained prominence during the Persian Gulf War (1990–91), covering events from Iraq's invasion of Kuwait to the U.S.-led coalition's victory. After the war, she reported on the Kurdish uprising in northern Iraq. In 1992, Amanpour covered the outbreak of violence in Bosnia and Herzegovina, bringing attention to the conflict's savage nature. She has also produced documentaries on various global issues, including the impact of AIDS on Kenyan children, the search for Osama bin Laden, Islamic unrest in the United Kingdom, and a series on defenders of Judaism, Christianity, and Islam.
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How has Christiane Amanpour's reporting style impacted journalism?
Christiane Amanpour, an English-born journalist, significantly impacted journalism through her courageous war reporting for CNN, particularly in the late 20th and early 21st centuries. Her in-depth coverage brought global attention to conflicts, though her reporting style faced some criticism for a perceived bias. Amanpour's work includes impactful documentaries and interview series, such as Amanpour & Company, which delved into complex global issues. She has received multiple honors, including a Commander of the Order of the British Empire (CBE) in 2007.
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What awards or recognitions has Christiane Amanpour received for her work?
Christiane Amanpour is an English-born journalist known for her work as a correspondent for CNN. She has also hosted ABC's This Week and PBS's Amanpour & Company. Amanpour gained recognition during the Persian Gulf War and for her coverage of the violence in Bosnia and Herzegovina.
Amanpour has received numerous honors, including an Edward R. Murrow Award in 2002. In 2007, she was named a Commander of the Order of the British Empire (CBE).
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Christiane Amanpour is an English-born journalist who, as a correspondent for CNN, wbecame one of the leading war correspondents of the late 20th and early 21st centuries. She later hosted the ABC news program This Week (2010–11) and the PBS interview series Amanpour & Company (2018– ). In October 2026, she announced that in 2027 she would leave CNN, where she had worked for more than four decades.
- Education: University of Rhode Island, bachelor’s degree in journalism, 1983.
- Best known for: One of the most prominent war correspondents of the late 20th and early 21st centuries.
- Family: Married former U.S. State Department official James Rubin in 1998; they divorced in 2018. The couple has one son.
- Quotation: “I know that the power of well-told news is phenomenal because all of us showed that in Bosnia.”
Amanpour’s father, an Iranian airline executive, moved the family to Tehrān shortly after her birth. Politically connected and wealthy, the Amanpours led a privileged life in Iran. At age 11, Amanpour was sent back to England to attend the Holy Cross Convent School in Buckinghamshire. She stayed at Holy Cross until she was 16, when she went to the exclusive New Hall School, the oldest Roman Catholic girls’ school in the United Kingdom. In January 1979 the Islamic revolution in Iran toppled the shah, forcing many of his followers to leave the country, the Amanpour family among them. Her father lost everything he had owned in Iran. Amanpour later credited her desire to be a journalist to this firsthand experience.
Amanpour subsequently moved to the United States. She attended the University of Rhode Island, graduating with a degree in journalism in 1983. She went to work for an NBC affiliate in Providence, Rhode Island, but in September 1983 she was hired at the fledgling CNN as an assistant for the international news desk. By 1986 she was working at CNN’s New York City bureau as a producer-correspondent. Amanpour received her big break in 1989 when she was promoted to a post in Frankfurt, West Germany. She arrived there at an opportune time; the pro-democracy movement was sweeping eastern Europe, and Amanpour quickly became CNN’s on-the-spot reporter.
Amanpour gained distinction in Europe, but it was during the Persian Gulf War (1990–91) that she became a familiar face. She covered the conflict from the Iraqi invasion of Kuwait to the eventual triumph of the U.S.-led coalition. After the war she reported on the Kurdish uprising in northern Iraq. In 1992 Amanpour went to Bosnia and Herzegovina to cover the outbreak of violence that she thought would become “my generation’s war.” Her reporting was credited with bringing the savage nature of that conflict to the attention of the world, although some criticized her for what they thought was her tendency to editorialize rather than report, claiming that she was clearly biased against the Serbs.
While continuing to report from the field as CNN’s chief international correspondent, Amanpour occasionally contributed (1996–2005) to the CBS newsmagazine program 60 Minutes. For CNN she produced a series of programs that delved deeper into an issue than was possible on a nightly news show. Her documentaries included Where Have All the Parents Gone? (2006), which focused on Kenyan children who had been orphaned because of AIDS; In the Footsteps of bin Laden (2006); and The War Within (2007), a report on Islamic unrest in the United Kingdom. She also presented the six-hour series God’s Warriors (2007), which dealt with the defenders of Judaism, Christianity, and Islam. From 2009 to 2010 Amanpour hosted the CNN interview series Amanpour.
In 2010 Amanpour left CNN to join the news division at ABC, and she became host of ABC’s political affairs show This Week later that year. She stepped down from the program, however, in December 2011. In a special arrangement, she then resumed her role at CNN while continuing at ABC as its global affairs anchor. Amanpour returned in 2012 on the CNN International channel, and in 2017 it also began airing on the Public Broadcasting Service as Amanpour on PBS. It was an interim replacement for the Charlie Rose show—which had been abruptly canceled amid allegations of sexual misconduct by Rose—and in 2018 the time slot was given to the newly created Amanpour & Company. The hour-long interview featured Amanpour as well as various correspondents and was set to end in December 2026. Her program on CNN International was slated to continue airing once a week through May 2027 in advance of her June departure..
Amanpour’s announcement came at a pivotal moment for CNN, just after the legendary news channel came under the umbrella of Skydance, which also owns CBS News. Amanpour had expressed concern about the impact’s takeover on CNN’s independence, but in her announcement she just offered advice to her fellow journalists: “Remember: Always be truthful, not neutral.”
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Amanpour was the recipient of numerous honors, including an Edward R. Murrow Award (2002). In 2007 she was named a Commander of the Order of the British Empire (CBE).