New CNN Special "The Anthrax Mystery" Debuts Tonight
CNN Domestic will tonight premiere a new investigation from Joe Johns. Details from CNN below.
CNN Press Release:The Anthrax Mystery – CNN’s Joe Johns Investigates. Death by Mail: The Anthrax Letters Debuts Sunday, October 2 at 8:00p.m. and 11:00p.m. ET & PT
CNN’s Joe Johns reports for a documentary investigation into the anthrax letter attacks of 2001. Letters written with jihadist language and laced with deadly anthrax spores were sent via U.S. Mail to members of the news media and Congress in the weeks following the September 11 attacks on New York City and the Pentagon. Five people were ultimately killed and 17 others were sickened by exposure to the letters directed to The New York Post, Tom Brokaw at NBC News, Sen. Tom Daschle (D-SD), Sen. Patrick Leahy (D-VT), and others.
Drawing from recently released FBI and Justice Department documents of what is officially called the Amerithrax Investigation, Johns tells the story of the complex, seven-year investigation into what happened and who was allegedly responsible for the deadly letters, explaining the bizarre turns in the bioterrorism case that extended the nation’s horror.
The one-hour documentary, CNN Presents: Death by Mail – The Anthrax Letters, debuts Sunday, Oct. 2 at 8:00p.m. and 11:00p.m. ET & PT, and replays on Saturday, Oct. 8 at 8:00p.m. and 11:00p.m. ET & PT on CNN/U.S.
From the beginning, federal investigators turned for help to the scientific community on the belief that the killer may have been a rogue insider from the biotech industry. Thomas Dellafera, the now-retired U.S. Postal Inspection Service team leader on Amerithrax, describes how authorities even requested that the scientists working in bioweapons defense research submit to polygraph testing.
One scientist, Nancy Haigwood, suspected a former colleague and contacted the FBI with the name “Bruce Ivins.”
“In my mind, it was as though something clicked,” she tells Johns, “I just thought I might actually know the person.” She described Ivins’s years-long history of stalking and his odd obsession with her sorority, Kappa Kappa Gamma.
But for the next four and a half years, her tip was low priority. “We didn't know how it related to the crime,” says Dellafera.
Ivins escaped federal scrutiny for years while investigators pursued other leads, including targeting an innocent man. U.S. Attorney General John Ashcroft publicly identified former U.S. Army Medical Research Institute of Infectious Diseases (USAMRIID) scientist, Steven Hatfill as a ‘person of interest.’ But, Johns explains, nothing collected in the Hatfill investigation ever connected him to the crime. Ultimately, Hatfill was determined not responsible for the crimes, and the federal government paid him nearly six million dollars to settle a lawsuit for allegedly violating his right to privacy.
Death by Mail reveals a hidden side of Bruce Ivins that federal agents remained unaware of until near the end of their investigation. In emails to colleagues, Ivins describes his disturbed mental state and fears he is becoming paranoid and losing control.
By July 2008, federal prosecutors believed they had enough credible circumstantial evidence to indict Ivins for Use of a Weapon of Mass Destruction. Scientists hired by the FBI had matched four genetic mutations in the attack anthrax to the same mutations in a flask of anthrax in Ivins’s lab.
“There was no one who was more experienced at growing, purifying and handling, preparing anthrax spores at Fort Detrick than Bruce Ivins,” says David Willman, Pulitzer prize-winning reporter and the author of The Mirage Man: Bruce Ivins, the Anthrax Attacks, and America’s Rush to War (April 2011).
Investigators theorize his motive may have been to increase interest and funding for a new anthrax vaccine that he had helped to invent, which he apparently feared had become a low priority.
Ivins denied having anything to do with the anthrax attacks, and to this day, Ivins has defenders. “How it was made, how it was prepared, where it was done, over what period of time -- there’s a total void of evidence,” Ivins’s attorney, Paul Kemp of Rockville, MD, tells CNN. And there is no direct evidence linking Ivins to the crime: no DNA on the letters, no fingerprints, and no eyewitnesses.
Bruce Ivins committed suicide just as investigators appeared to be ready to bring formal charges against him. No one has ever been officially charged with the anthrax letter attacks, though Johns’ report dissects the evidence, explains why doubts linger about the guilt of the main suspect, and asks if such an attack could ever happen again.
More information about Death by Mail can be found at www.cnn.com.
Andy Segal produced Death by Mail: The Anthrax Letters. Kathy Slobogin is a managing editor for the CNN Special Investigations unit overseeing production of this documentary. Lee Hughey and Dave Herrod edited Death by Mail.
New CNN Investigation Profiles WikiLeaks Founder Julian Assange
'CNN Presents: WikiWars – The Mission of Julian Assange' debuts at 8pm (eastern) tonight on CNN Domestic. A preview and release from CNN is below.
CNN Press Release: Julian Assange says he is on a mission to change the world, by fighting corruption and what he sees as injustice, through exposing secrets. He has launched a cyber war over the control of sensitive information, inciting a debate over the power of secrecy and who has the ‘right’ to release confidential information. Exposing everything from secret war logs, to diplomatic cables, to explosive videos, the 39-year-old Australian founder of the whistle-blower website WikiLeaks has been called both a hero and a villain.
CNN correspondent Kaj Larsen reports on the unconventional life and mission of the WikiLeaks revealer-in-chief in a one-hour documentary, CNN Presents – WikiWars: The Mission of Julian Assange. The documentary debuts Sunday, June 12 at 8:00p.m. ET and PT replays on Saturday, June 18 at 8:00p.m. ET and PT on CNN/U.S.
Through a series of in-depth interviews, conducted over several months between Australian freelance journalist Mark Davis and Julian Assange, WikiWars recounts Assange’s evolution from a convicted teenage computer hacker, to someone who provokes outrage from governments around the world. Assange has attained cult hero status among his supporters, but critics accuse him of being obsessed with targeting the U.S. military, and recklessly endangering lives.
Larsen interviews former WikiLeaks spokesperson, Daniel Domscheit-Berg, author of Inside WikiLeaks: My Time with Julian Assange at the World’s Most Dangerous Website, who describes an organization in turmoil – running short of funding and running high on infighting. Larsen also spoke with former hacker Adrian Lamo, who communicated with PFC Bradley Manning in a series of web chats that eventually led to Manning’s arrest for allegedly leaking confidential State and Defense Department records related to the wars in Afghanistan and Iraq. And, he interviewed Brigadier General Mark T. Kimmitt, USA (Ret.) about the fallout from WikiLeaks’ release of the controversial “Collateral Murder” video which reveals U.S. soldiers shooting at a group of men, killing insurgents and two men later identified as journalists.
In the summer of 2010, in one of its most notorious leaks, WikiLeaks released tens of thousands of documents to The New York Times, Germany’s Der Spiegel, and the U.K.’s The Guardian. The Guardian’s Nick Davies says that many of the reporters who were part of this unprecedented collaborative review came away from the experience with concerns. “All of us came across material, which was clearly likely to lead to the death of innocent civilians if we published it. All of us had the experience of bringing this to his [Assange’s] attention, and being told by him, in effect: ‘If an Afghan civilian helps coalition forces, then they deserve to die.”
Though Davies says Assange belatedly made some attempts to withhold some documents, he says sensitive identity data was released at the WikiLeaks website which, in his view, ‘reduced’ Assange’s moral authority. “He’d made a terrible tactical mistake,” says Davies.
In addition to the television airing, later this week users will find video excerpts from the documentary at www.cnn.com. Users will also find an article written by Kaj Larsen describing his first-person, behind-the-scenes account of his experience working on this documentary, and the impact of WikiLeaks upon journalism, diplomacy, government communications, and more.
Heather O’Neill is the senior producer for Wiki Wars; Ken Shiffman was a producer. Kathy Slobogin is managing editor for the CNN Special Investigations Unit.
Soledad O'Brien's latest special debuts this weekend on CNN Domestic. Details from CNN follow.
CNN Press Release: CNN anchor and special correspondent Soledad O’Brien examines the lives of Catherine Middleton and Prince William in a documentary that explores how the future King and Queen have been influenced by the legacy of his mother, Princess Diana, and are forging a very modern royal marriage. O’Brien chronicles their friendship-turned-romance, and how they are preparing for an “ordinary” married life in North Wales following their nuptials.
CNN Presents: The Women Who Would Be Queen debuts Sunday, April 24 at 8:00pm ET & PT.
Speaking about young Prince William’s early life, Christopher Andersen, author of several books about the royal family, tells O’Brien that sometimes Princess Diana’s eldest son was a witness to his parent’s troubled marriage. Andersen suggests the prince’s early sad family experiences may yield insights into his deliberation for his own romantic life, and to what drew the prince to his fiancée.
“William became sort of ‘the fixer’ ... here’s this little boy when his mother locks herself in the bathroom after an argument with Charles, and she’s sobbing, and here’s little seven-year-old William slipping tissues under the door and saying, ‘I hate to see you sad, Mummy’ ... so ... he meets Kate and Kate exposes him to a happy family for the first time ...stability,” Andersen tells O’Brien in the documentary.
Young Diana and young Kate are described by friends as painfully shy. Princess Diana was said by many who knew her to have long nursed a crush on Prince Charles, and friends of Kate Middleton have related that, similarly Kate long admired William from afar. And in 2000, both Prince William and Katherine Middleton spent portions of their “gap” years, between secondary school and university, in volunteer service in Chile, though ironically, the two were on separate missions and never met.
Kate is said to have switched her initial selection of Edinburgh University to St. Andrews University shortly after the palace announced that Prince William would be attending university there, though later, it would be Kate who would encourage struggling student, Prince William, that he could indeed make it through their challenging courses. They both completed their studies in art history there.
After their graduations, their romance took on more public visibility – and became more complicated. Reminiscent of Princess Diana, paparazzi aggressively followed Kate, and Prince William worried about Kate’s safety. The prince entered his military training, and sometimes Kate was alone for long periods. Prince William broke off their relationship in 2007, after seeking counsel from his father. Of course, the world knows the couple later reconciled and the documentary gives details of their engagement, including how and where the prince popped the question.
O’Brien describes the ways in which the couple has seemed to pursue a strong foundation for marriage – living together for a time, taking premarital counseling, and preparing for a simple early married life far from Buckingham Palace. O’Brien also reports on the moving ways in which the couple is honoring the legacy of the prince’s mother in their marriage ceremony, including Prince William’s selection of the engagement ring for his bride-to-be, and in the location the couple will take their vows, Westminster Abbey.
Also featured in the documentary are interviews with Oliver Baines, a friend of Kate Middleton’s days at boarding school; Mary Clarke, Lady Diana’s nanny; Arthur Edwards, who has photographed both princes' lives during his 30-year career at The Sun newspaper; Berkshire pub owner and Middleton family friend John Haley; long-time friends of the couple Jules Knight and Richard Dennen; Dr. James Colthurst, Lana Marks, and Mary Robertson, long time friends of Princess Diana; Malcolm Sutherland, leader for Kate Middleton’s and Prince William’s separate Chilean volunteer service expeditions; Penny Walker, Lady Diana’s music teacher; Charles Warren, one of Prince William’s lecturers at St. Andrews; and Ken Wharfe, bodyguard for the royal family.
Airtimes for CNN Presents: The Women Who Would be Queen on CNN Domestic (all times Eastern):
Sunday, April 24, 2011
8:00pm – 9:00pm 11:00pm – 12:00am
Monday, April 25, 2011
2:00am – 3:00am
Saturday, April 30, 2011
8:00pm – 9:00pm 11:00pm – 12:00am
Sunday, May 01, 2011
2:00am – 3:00am
Airtimes for CNN Presents: The Women Who Would be Queen on CNN International (all times GMT):
CNN has won three awards at the 2010 Gracie Awards.
This year's ceremony, held at the Beverly Hilton Hotel in Los Angeles, continued the 35 year tradition of celebrating programming created for women, and by women. The awards also honor individuals who have made outstanding contributions in electronic media.
The awards won by CNN:
Outstanding Documentary: CNN Presents - Black in America 2
Outstanding Hard News Feature: Jessica Yellin - Political Women
Outstanding Talk Show - News: Larry King Live - Interview with Katherine Callaway Hall
HLN anchor Robin Meade also recorded a win with her program, HLN's only award this year:
Outstanding Anchor - News or News Magazine: Robin Meade in Morning Express with Robin Meade
CNN’s Soledad O’Brien Brings to Life Inspiring Stories about Haiti’s Innocent Children
Rescued, featuring Creole translation by music artist Wyclef Jean, premieres Saturday, May 8 at 8pm ET & PT
CNN was the first news organization to report from Haiti following the earthquake that devastated the tiny Caribbean country in January. That’s when CNN anchor and special correspondent Soledad O’Brien began a journey reporting on Haiti’s remarkably inspiring children. Told through the eyes of two abandoned children and two American missionaries, O’Brien reports a powerful one-hour CNN documentary on Haiti’s children’s before, during and after the earthquake. Rescued premieres Saturday, May 8 at 8pm ET & PT.
After viewing an initial screening of the documentary and being so moved by what he saw, hip hop music artist and philanthropist Wyclef Jean, a son of Haiti, will provide voice-overs of the Creole translations in the program, along with award-winning Haitian novelist Edwidge Danticat.
The two children, six year old Cendy Jeune and former child slave Marc Kenson Oliphi are Haitian orphans abandoned years ago by their parents. They represent the children whose faces appear on the worldwide appeals for charity. But Cendy and Marc Kenson are among the lucky. They survived some of the worst poverty imaginable and escaped their hardship when they were taken into an orphanage of an American missionary family. They are bright, strong and full of faith. These are innocent children with promise who represent Haiti’s future. Children who one day could rewrite this small nation’s unfortunate history. That is, until the January earthquake erupts and hands them the biggest test of all.
Susette and Bill Manassero are the American missionaries who have devoted their lives to Haiti’s children. They are part of an expansive and controversial missionary community that shelters thousands of Haiti’s abandoned children. They manage the Lighthouse Orphanage, and live in Port-au-Prince with their family so that the young Haitians they care for do not have to leave their homeland. Haiti has 380,000 children living as orphans, though O’Brien learns, in a country with unbelievable capacity challenges, the term ‘orphan’ has a complicated meaning.
Said O’Brien, "From the moment I met the children at the Lighthouse orphanage, I knew I had to return to Haiti to help put a face on the hundreds of thousands of orphans living there. Not only are they incredibly strong and inspiring, but they tell the larger story of Haiti and its struggles before and after the devastating earthquake."
More information on Rescued can be found on CNN.com/Haiti. Viewers can continue to contribute to Haiti relief through CNN’s Impact Your World webpage by visiting CNN.com/Impact.
Geraldine Moriba is the executive producer for Rescued; Rose Arce is the senior producer.
CNN Worldwide, a division of Turner Broadcasting System, Inc., a Time Warner Company, is the most trusted source for news and information. Its reach extends to nine cable and satellite television networks; one private place-based network; two radio networks; wireless devices around the world; CNN Digital Network, the No. 1 network of news Web sites in the United States; CNN Newsource, the world’s most extensively-syndicated news service; and strategic international partnerships within both television and the digital media.
National Security Cyber War Game Scenario Broadcast Exclusively on CNN
CNN Press Release - We Were Warned: Cyber Shockwave debuts Saturday, Feb. 20 & Sunday, Feb. 21 at 8pm & 11pm ET
CNN will air a two-hour production, We Were Warned: Cyber Shockwave, based upon exclusive television access to a national security cyber “war game” scenario. The simulated event was developed by The Bipartisan Policy Center and will debut Saturday, Feb. 20 and Sunday, Feb. 21 at 8pm, 11pm and 2am ET on CNN. The scenario was created by Fmr. CIA Director, General Michael Hayden (ret.) as well as the co-chairs of the 9/11 Commission, Fmr. Rep. Lee Hamilton (D-IN) and Fmr. Gov. Thomas Kean (R-NJ).
CNN homeland security correspondent Jeanne Meserve reported from the live event for CNN on Tuesday, Feb. 16. CNN anchor Wolf Blitzer moderated a Q&A with the participants before a live audience that will air as part of the television special.
Additional participants who served various roles for the scenario are: Fmr. U.S. Secretary of Homeland Security Michael Chertoff, Fmr. Director of National Intelligence John Negroponte, Fmr. White House Homeland Security Advisor and CNN contributor Fran Townsend, Fmr. Director of Central Intelligence John McLaughlin, Fmr. U.S. Senator Bennett Johnston, Jr. (D-LA), Fmr. National Economic Council Director Stephen Friedman, Fmr. U.S. Deputy Attorney General Jamie Gorelick, Fmr. White House Press Secretary Joe Lockhart, Fmr. National Security Agency General Counsel Stewart Baker, and Gen. Charles Wald, USAF (Ret.), former Deputy Commander of the United States European Command.
The unrehearsed event simulated a real-time White House Situation Room response to a massive cyber attack. Participants received simulated intelligence and news reports that required their rapid, informed advice for a U.S. president.
We Were Warned: Cyber Shockwave is a CNN Production special event executive produced by Bud Bultman. The simulated exercise was produced by Chris Wayne & Associates, Minassian Media and Future View, Inc., for the Bipartisan Policy Center. The scenario was filmed before a live audience at the Mandarin Oriental Hotel in Washington, D.C. Scott Matthews is director of programming for CNN Productions, including the award-winning documentary series CNN Presents and the CNN Special Investigations Unit. David Bohrman is the executive-in-charge of the special production.
CNN Worldwide, a division of Turner Broadcasting System, Inc., a Time Warner Company, is the most trusted source for news and information. Its reach extends to nine cable and satellite television networks; one private place-based network; two radio networks; wireless devices around the world; CNN Digital Network, the No. 1 network of news Web sites in the United States; CNN Newsource, the world’s most extensively syndicated news service; and strategic international partnerships within both television and the digital media.
On Monday night, CNN Productions received the prestigious President’s Award at the News and Documentary Emmy Awards for CNN’s “longstanding commitment to long-form documentaries.” Accepting the award (from L-R) are Mark Nelson, vice president and sr. executive producer for CNN Productions; Christiane Amanpour, chief international correspondent and anchor, 'Amanpour;’ Jon Klein, president, CNN/U.S. and Soledad O'Brien, anchor and special correspondent.
CNN Presents Latino in America Anchored by Soledad O’Brien
CNN Press Release - New “…in America” Documentary Series Debuts on CNN and CNN en Español on Oct. 21& 22
CNN will extend its acclaimed “…in America” series of documentaries with a two-night, four-hour event, Latino in America, this October. Reported by anchor and special correspondent Soledad O’Brien, the ambitious documentary initiative examines the growing diversity of America, revealing insight into a changing nation on the eve of the U.S. census that is expected to officially confirm that Latino Americans are the largest minority group within the country.
Two, two-hour documentaries will air at 8p.m. and 11p.m. ET and PT and simulcast in English on CNN/U.S. and in Spanish on CNN en Español on Oct. 21 and Oct. 22; CNN International will also broadcast the series (date and time to be announced). Latino in America was filmed in high definition. “As the face of America changes profoundly, CNN continues to demonstrate that we are the only cable news network dedicated to delivering a diversity of opinions and coverage,” said Jon Klein, president CNN/U.S. “This landmark series will showcase dramatic personal stories from across the sweep of Latino-American society, and move the dialogue well beyond limited partisan discussions of immigration.”
Latino in America: Los Garcias – Wednesday, Oct. 21, 8 p.m. & 11 p.m. (two hours) ET/PT
“Garcia” is now one of the top ten most popular surnames in the country, a sign of the largest ethnic wave in America’s history. For the debut evening of CNN’s Latino in America, O’Brien interviews Garcias from all walks of life. They hail from a broad array of nations; some families are new arrivals to America – others have been Americans for many generations. Old, young, wealthy and poor, Latinos are the fastest-growing minority group in America. O’Brien’s lens on the Garcias yields a window into American life that viewers will find both new and very familiar at the same time.
One Garcia viewers will meet is Cindy Garcia, a 17-year old high schooler living in Greater Los Angeles. Cindy has a close and loving family, but like many Latina teens she is also facing challenges beyond her years. Her mother, originally from Guatemala, speaks no English and depends upon Cindy for translation assistance for medical appointments and other personal business. Cindy is often asked to babysit for the children of her siblings, even taking them to school with her; and she struggles with the added burden of an unplanned pregnancy. Most of Cindy’s family and friends never graduated from high school, and an astounding 70 percent of her fellow students drop out before graduation, but Cindy tells O’Brien that she is determined to graduate. The first evening follows Cindy’s journey.
Throughout Night One in the series, viewers will also hear from several accomplished Latinos about the American experience of being Latinos including, comedian George Lopez, and actors Lupe Ontiveros, Jesse Garcia, Edward James Olmos and Eva Longoria Parker.
Latino in America: Chasing the Dream – Thursday, Oct. 22, 8 p.m. & 11 p.m. (two hours) ET/PT
The second documentary in the two-night series focuses on a journey as old as the nation – the pursuit of the American Dream. O’Brien interviews Sen. Mel Martinez (R-Fla.), who fled communist Cuba at age 15. Martinez recalls his own American Dream journey – from his first humble nights on the floor of a welcoming Catholic church in Miami, learning English and achieving undergraduate and law degrees from the University of Florida, becoming a U.S. Secretary of Housing and Urban Development, and finally becoming a U.S. Senator.
O’Brien also speaks with Carlos Robles. Since he is from Puerto Rico, he is an American citizen, but he has found transition to life in Florida a challenge so far. A police officer in Puerto Rico, Carlos’ dream is to become a sheriff in Orlando. But he struggles with English, and he is worried that his language skills may interfere with or delay his dream.
In Shenandoah, Pa., O’Brien discovers a dream denied. Luis Ramirez was killed by a group of white high school students – allegedly only because of his ethnicity. Ramirez was an illegal immigrant from Mexico, and his death and the ensuing trial have been a lightning rod for long-building tensions in the community over dwindling jobs, crime and a melding of cultures that has not always been seamless.
On the other end of the spectrum, Vanessa Rosas, also from Puerto Rico, has flourished. Fluent in Spanish and English, her young children are also bilingual and Rosas and her husband – both engineers – live an affluent life in Florida as Disney employees. Rosas and her husband observe traditional Puerto Rican customs and celebrations and have also adopted those of the mainland. They are perhaps a bridge to a nation growing in Latino diversity.
“Soledad will give viewers new insight into an American story that they may have thought that they understood. There is so much to learn about the changing landscape of America – and we’re delivering it just as the nation confirms its new demographics and all of the promise – and challenges that will come with that,” said Mark Nelson, vice president and senior executive producer, CNN Productions.
About CNN Productions Latino in America is produced by CNN Productions, the most award-winning documentary unit in cable news. The National Academy of Television Arts and Sciences recently announced that it will honor CNN Productions with the President’s Award at its ceremonies in September. Mark Nelson is the vice president and senior executive producer for the unit; Kathy Slobogin is managing editor for CNN Productions; Rose Arce and Catherine Mitchell are senior producers; Brian Rokus, Emily Probst, Kimberly Arp-Babbit, and Robert Howell are producers; Jody Gottlieb is the executive director for CNN Productions.
About CNN Worldwide CNN Worldwide, a division of Turner Broadcasting System, Inc., a Time Warner Company, is the most trusted source for news and information. Its reach extends to nine cable and satellite television networks; one private place-based network; two radio networks; wireless devices around the world; CNN Digital Network, the No. 1 network of news Web sites in the United States; CNN Newsource, the world’s most extensively syndicated news service; and strategic international partnerships within both television and the digital media.
CNN Press Release - Two-hour Documentary Investigating the Battle for Muslim Hearts and Minds Debuts on August 13
This summer, CNN chief international correspondent Christiane Amanpour will helm a new Amanpour Reports two-hour event documentary, Generation Islam, on the battle for the hearts and minds of the youth of the Muslim world. The documentary will debut on Thursday, August 13 at 8p.m. and 11p.m. ET and PT.
Additionally, Christiane Amanpour begins a new daily interview program, Amanpour, airing globally at 3p.m. ET on CNN International, with a weekly 60-minute edition airing on CNN/U.S. on Sundays at 2p.m. ET, beginning in September.
“CNN is one of the few remaining television networks still committed to delivering enterprise reporting, in-depth documentaries, and comprehensive news and analysis from around the world,” said Jon Klein, president CNN/U.S. “And in Christiane we’ve got the master of all those forms. As a war correspondent she redefined international reporting, while her documentaries have transfixed tens of millions of viewers around the world and earned the most prestigious awards in journalism.”
Fresh from her extraordinary reporting from inside Iran during the Iranian elections, Amanpour takes viewers to Afghanistan, Pakistan, and Gaza for Generation Islam. The documentary premieres just one week prior to Afghanistan’s national elections, as the U.S. intensifies its war efforts in Afghanistan, and as the Obama Administration seeks to forge a new relationship with Muslim nations.
Viewers of the documentary will see and hear from young Muslims who are potentially vulnerable to manipulation by Muslim extremist groups. More than half of the people living in the crowded Gaza strip are under the age of 18, and nearly 45 percent of the population in Afghanistan is under the age of 14. Amanpour speaks to several Americans living and working in Afghanistan and Gaza, who are providing alternatives to young Muslims who are prime recruits for Muslim fundamentalists160;
With the story of one child and his family, Amanpour illustrates what’s at stake. Last year, as nearly one thousand Afghan civilians were accidentally killed by U.S. forces, the Taliban began in earnest to re-establish its influence among people crushed by poverty and war. Just one year ago, a starving twelve year-old Nassim appeared on the doorstep of an orphanage run by American Marnie Gustafson in Afghanistan. Nassim had survived beatings, slave labor and a harrowing month-long journey having been cast out of his home after his father took a new wife. Nassim’s 15-year-old brother Alahdad may have suffered an even worse fate. Alahdad was taken in by a fundamentalist madrasa near Herat, Afghanistan, a region considered Taliban country.
Viewers will also learn about Palestinian obstetrician gynecologist Izzeldin Abuelaish in Gaza, whose home was bombarded during the 2009 war between Israel and Hamas. His three daughters were killed by Israeli shells. Dr. Abuelaish invites Amanpour to meet some of the children in his family who survived. Despite his tragic loss, he continues to work for peace. Dr. Abuelaish has been nominated for a Nobel Peace Prize.
Amanpour also meets 35 children at a Gaza pre-school, many of whom have lost their homes or a parent in the war with Israel. Teachers notice behavior problems from these youngsters that seem related to their exposure to war and violence160;
Dr. El-Sarraj, an expert in Muslim extremism, tells Amanpour that up to one third of the children surveyed there say that they want to be a martyr. “Palestinian boys, even at age five, feel like they need to defend their families and their society, becoming disheartened when they can’t,” says Dr. Eyad El-Sarraj is a psychiatrist and founder/president of the Gaza Community Mental Health Program and a commissioner of the Palestinian Independent Commission for Human Rights.
“President Obama and many others are concerned that the next generation of Muslims could be lost to religious extremists,” says Mark Nelson, vice president and senior executive producer, CNN Productions. “Viewers will see and learn about some Americans who are winning the battle against extremism.”
About CNN Productions Generation Islam is produced by CNN Productions, the most award-winning documentary unit in cable network news. The National Academy of Television Arts and Sciences recently announced that it will honor CNN Productions with the President’s Award at its ceremonies in September. Mark Nelson is the vice president and senior executive producer for CNN Productions; Kathy Slobogin is managing editor for CNN Productions. Andrew Tkach and Melissa Dunst are senior producers; Heather O’Neill and Jen Christensen are producers; Jody Gottlieb is the executive director for CNN Productions.
Christiane Amanpour has reported on crises from many of the world’s hotspots and war zones during 26 years at CNN. Her assignments also include exclusive interviews with world leaders on the human consequences of natural disasters and global politics. She has received numerous awards for her work, including the coveted Paul White Award from the Radio-Television News Directors Association, four George Foster Peabody Awards, a Courage in Journalism Award and a number of Emmys and duPont awards. She is a member of the board of directors for the Committee to Protect Journalists and was named an honorary citizen by the City of Sarajevo for her “personal contribution to spreading the truth” during coverage of the bloody breakup of the former Yugoslavia.
About CNN Worldwide CNN Worldwide, a division of Turner Broadcasting System, Inc., a Time Warner Company, is the most trusted source for news and information. Its reach extends to nine cable and satellite television networks; one private place-based network; two radio networks; wireless devices around the world; CNN Digital Network, the No. 1 network of news Web sites in the United States; CNN Newsource, the world’s most extensively syndicated news service; and strategic international partnerships within both television and the digital media.
CNN Press Release - Anderson Cooper and Soledad O’Brien Anchor Live Special Following Replay of Original Series on Feb. 26
With an historic presidential administration already initiating a nationwide dialogue on race, CNN continues its enterprising look at the state of Black America. Building upon its acclaimed 2008documentary Black in America, CNN announced today plans to continue the probing series with a three-part television event in 2009 that will focus on successful innovators who are working to make improvements within African American communities and around the country. As production begins on the 2009 initiative, CNN will rebroadcast two nights of the extremely successful 2008 series reported by anchor and special correspondent Soledad O’Brien.
Black in America: The Black Woman & Family will air on Wednesday, Feb. 25 at 8 p.m. Black in America: The Black Man will air on Thursday, Feb. 26 at 8 p.m. All times Eastern. Both documentaries have a running time of two hours. Nearly 13 million cumulative viewers saw the original series, which included a co-production with Essence magazine and Eyewitness to Murder: The King Assassination.
“As the new president plans his first national address before both houses of Congress, CNN is already deeply engaged in reporting and providing analysis of how the new policies and leadership will specifically impact the lives of everyday African Americans – as only CNN can do,” said Jon Klein, president CNN/U.S.
A special edition of Anderson Cooper 360º will air on Thursday, Feb. 26 at 10 p.m. Eastern, following the re-broadcast of Black in America: The Black Man. Anchors Anderson Cooper and O’Brien will discuss the impact of the new administration’s challenge to outdated racial paradigms, and how the new leadership and policies are being received by African Americans in particular. They will also examine local people and programs around the country that have already been driving community change, educational and economic opportunities.
Cooper and O’Brien will look closely at “Journey for Change,” a program that engages economically disadvantaged youth, offering them opportunities to see the world, develop self-confidence and motivate them to pursue their goals. O’Brien traveled to South Africa with Malaak Compton-Rock, humanitarian and wife of entertainer Chris Rock, and 30 young people from Brooklyn as part of a cultural exchange program. The goal of the exchange is to inspire the young participants to re-examine their life situations and engage in programs that benefit their home communities.
Cooper and O’Brien will also explore the successful strategies of Steve Perry, principal and founder of the Capital Preparatory Magnet School in Hartford, Conn. Perry, an author and counselor to prominent politicians, prepares young people for college with “tough love” aimed at students, their parents, and teachers.
Black in America: Today’s Pioneers and Black in America: Tomorrow’s Leaders will debut in July 2009. In addition, a special co-production with Essence magazine, featuring leaders and community organizers, will be filmed in New Orleans at the Essence Music Festival in July and broadcast on CNN in August.
About Black in America The Black Woman & Family explores the first-time reunion of the white and Black branches of the Rand family in Houston, Tex., and profiles women and families meeting the challenges of single parenthood, HIV/AIDS, and examines the status of the African American middle class.
The Black Man profiles men living lives as responsible fathers and community leaders – and others living lives of challenges that highlight their critical roles in African American families and communities.
Black in America is produced by CNN Productions. Jeffery Reid and Bud Bultman are managing editors for the series. Jody Gottlieb is the executive director for CNN Productions; Mark Nelson is the vice president and senior executive producer. Black in America was filmed in high definition.
CNN Worldwide, a division of Turner Broadcasting System, Inc., a Time Warner Company, is the most trusted source for news and information. Its reach extends to nine cable and satellite television networks; one private place-based network; two radio networks; wireless devices around the world; CNN Digital Network, the No. 1 network of news Web sites in the United States; CNN Newsource, the world’s most extensively syndicated news service; and strategic international partnerships within both television and the digital media.
Don't forget, CNN Presents: Scream Bloody Murder premieres Thursday night during the Larry King Live time slot.
From CNN.com: They tried to stop the killing. Nobody listened. Now, the truth will be told. CNN Chief International Correspondent Christiane Amanpour traveled to the killing fields of Europe, Africa and Asia to understand the world's indifference, even as courageous voices tried to "Scream Bloody Murder."
Christiane Amanpour Reveals Stories of Those Who Tried to Stop Genocide
CNN Press Release - Scream Bloody Murder Reports on ‘Unchecked Evil’ from Armenia to Darfur in Special Premiering Dec. 4
From ethnic slaughters in Armenia to the Holocaust to systematic terror and violence in Cambodia, Rwanda, Iraq and Darfur, CNN chief international correspondent Christiane Amanpour reports on the recurring nightmare of genocide and the largely unknown struggles of the heroes who witnessed evil – and “screamed bloody murder” for the international community to stop it. As the 60th anniversary of the United Nations’ Convention on the Prevention and Punishment of the Crime of Genocide approaches, a new two-hour documentary, CNN Presents: Scream Bloody Murder, will premiere on Thursday, Dec. 4, at 9 p.m. and replay at midnight. (ET).
Amanpour, who just celebrated her 25th year at CNN, has reported on most crises and human events from around the globe, including events in Iraq, Afghanistan, Iran, Israel, North Korea, Pakistan, Somalia, Rwanda and the Balkans. She has interviewed world leaders at the key moments of history as they happened and leverages this direct experience and depth of knowledge in Scream Bloody Murder. Her first-hand insights provide context to the key decisions before and during the heinous events that continue to shock the world.
Past as Prologue Raphael Lemkin, a Polish Jew and lawyer, narrowly escaped the Holocaust, but his parents and 40 other members of his family perished in the slaughter. In the 1940s, Lemkin coined the term “genocide” and lobbied the then-fledgling U.N. for an international convention compelling nations to prevent and stop genocide.
Mark Nelson, vice president and senior executive producer for CNN Productions says: “Lemkin hoped that the international community would ensure that genocide never happened again, but other crusaders against genocide met the same indifference and resistance Lemkin encountered. This film is about their stories – and what we can learn from them.”
Just one generation later, Father François Ponchaud, a Catholic missionary working in Cambodia, tried to alert the world to the torture and mass executions following the rise of the brutal Khmer Rouge regime. Ponchaud published articles, a book, and even spoke before the U.N. to urge action to stop the killing.
“No one believed us” Ponchaud tells Amanpour in the documentary. In fewer than four years, the Khmer Rouge’s reign of terror claimed the lives of nearly two million men, women and children – one fourth of Cambodia’s population.
“No one defends human rights,” the priest says in the documentary. “Governments are cold beasts looking out for their own interests.”
Iraq, Bosnia and Rwanda In the 1980s, Saddam Hussein unleashed poison gas on the Iraqi Kurdish population, killing tens of thousands, in violation of international law. Amanpour draws on U.S. government documents that show the Reagan Administration opposed measures to sanction Iraq because it was trying to cultivate Iraq as an ally against Iran in 1988. Peter Galbraith, at the time an idealistic staffer in the U.S. Senate, witnessed Hussein’s brutal policy and tried unsuccessfully to get Congress to punish Iraq. The White House continued its support for Hussein. Amanpour questions the Reagan administration officials who made the decisions at the time, including former U.S. Secretary of State George Shultz.
Amanpour returns to the former Yugoslavia, where in the 1990s, she reported on the “ethnic cleansing” of Muslims by Serbs. She reminds viewers that the slaughter in Bosnia happened in full view of the world, captured on 24-hour television news.
Amanpour describes the efforts of Richard Holbrooke, at the time a private citizen who would later become one of President Bill Clinton’s most influential advisors, who tried to persuade the Clinton administration to use military force to stop the principal aggressors, the Bosnian Serbs. It would take three years – and the massacre of 8,000 Muslim men and boys in the town of Srebrenica – to make his case and secure U.S. military support to end the “ethnic cleansing.” Amanpour also interviews Holocaust survivor and Nobel peace laureate Elie Wiesel, who during the opening ceremonies for the U.S. Holocaust Museum in 1993, publicly demanded the newly elected Clinton to intervene in Bosnia.
During an international news conference in 1994, Amanpour challenged Clinton: “Do you not think, that the constant flip-flops of your administration on the issue of Bosnia sets a very dangerous precedent?”
Amanpour also returns to Rwanda, where she reported on genocide there 14 years ago. The atrocities still haunt retired Canadian Lt. Gen. Romeo Dallaire. In 1994, Dallaire was the commander of the U.N. peace-keeping troops in Rwanda. He sounded early warnings about an impending human tragedy but was prohibited from taking military action to prevent the slaughter that eventually claimed the lives of at least 800,000 people. Dallaire, ordered to leave Rwanda by his bosses, tells Amanpour, “I refused a legal order. But it was immoral.”
Amanpour recounts the Clinton administration’s refusal to use the word ‘genocide’ to describe the killing in Rwanda, and the U.N.’s refusal to reinforce Dallaire’s troops. Former U.N. Secretary-General Kofi Annan and former U.S. National Security Advisor Anthony Lake discuss the failures in Rwanda. Amanpour also interviews current Rwandan President Paul Kagame, who says the world was indifferent to the fate of Rwandans.
Darfur and Beyond Finally, Amanpour reports on what many consider to be the first genocide of the 21st century: Darfur.
“There was no lack of information, there was no lack of understanding, there was a lack of will to stop genocide – year after year after year,” says Eric Reeves, a Smith College professor and one of the founders of the grassroots activism to end genocide in Darfur. Amanpour interviews Dr. Mukesh Kapila, the U.N.’s former top official in Sudan, who reveals what he says is today’s challenge: The U.N. is powerless to compel its members to act, even in the face of mass murder.
There may be a ray of hope in Reeves and Kapila’s frustrated efforts. Human rights groups continue to call attention to the atrocities in Darfur, and activists around the world advocate for Darfur via the Internet, which may holds some promise for maintaining international pressure and keeping the world’s conscience focused on relief action.
Six decades after Lemkin’s challenge to never let genocide happen again, Amanpour ponders what it will take for the world to live up to his challenge and the promise of the Genocide Convention he worked so tirelessly to bring about. The next time the killing starts and someone stands up to scream bloody murder, will anyone listen?
Christiane Amanpour has reported on crises from many of the world’s hotspots and war zones during 25 years at CNN. Her assignments also include exclusive interviews with world leaders on the human consequences of natural disasters and global politics. She has received numerous awards for her work, including the coveted Paul White Award from the Radio-Television News Directors Association, four George Foster Peabody Awards, a Courage in Journalism Award and a number of Emmys and duPont awards. She is a member of the board of directors for the Committee to Protect Journalists and was named an honorary citizen by the City of Sarajevo for her “personal contribution to spreading the truth” during coverage of the bloody breakup of the former Yugoslavia between 1992 and 1995.
The managing editor for Scream Bloody Murder is Kathy Slobogin. Andy Segal is senior producer; Ken Shiffman and Jennifer Hyde are producers for this documentary.
CNN Worldwide, a division of Turner Broadcasting System, Inc., a Time Warner Company, is the most trusted source for news and information. Its reach extends to nine cable and satellite television networks; one private place-based network; two radio networks; wireless devices around the world; CNN Digital Network, the No. 1 network of news Web sites in the United States; CNN Newsource, the world’s most extensively syndicated news service; and strategic international partnerships within both television and the digital media.
CNN Special Reports on Crime Fighters in New Orleans
CNN Press Release - Soledad O’Brien Shadows New Inspector General, DAs and NOPD as They Fight ‘One Crime at a Time’
In 2007, two years after Hurricane Katrina decimated their city, New Orleans’ law enforcement was fighting another battle: a soaring rate of homicides. The city’s 209 homicides gave it the highest per capita murder rate in the nation. A year later, the situation could be even worse as crime, corruption and bureaucracy bring new threats.
In a one-hour documentary, CNN anchor and special correspondent Soledad O’Brien is on the frontlines with the foot soldiers working to bring law and order to the Big Easy. CNN Presents: One Crime at a Time takes a critical look at the factors that plague New Orleans and endanger its future. The program premieres on Saturday, Nov. 22, and Sunday, Nov. 23, at 8 p.m., 11 p.m. and 2 a.m. All times Eastern.
O’Brien’s reporting begins on the violent streets of New Orleans, where city homicide detectives investigate murders during shifts that can last as long as 30 hours. O’Brien rides along with Detectives Anthony Pardo and Harold Wischan. Twenty-year-old Guy McEwen is murdered in broad daylight in front of a dozen witnesses just a week after he testifies in a high profile murder case. Despite evidence, detectives have a difficult time arresting his killer.
One Crime at a Time tells the story of a law enforcement community determined to save the city by defeating corruption, crime and violence.
Because of the city’s understaffed police department, arresting killers and prosecuting homicides is difficult at best. Despite the odds, Assistant District Attorneys Mary Glass and Tanya Faia are finding some success. After nine months on the job, they’ve won or secured guilty pleas in all of their cases. But even with new leadership in the district attorney’s office and a stepped-up focus on homicide prosecutions, O’Brien finds that progress is slow.
Bob Cerasoli, the city’s new inspector general, fights the battle on a different front. He was hired in 2007 to cut down corruption, waste, fraud and misappropriations in New Orleans. If the city provides Cerasoli with the tools he says he needs, he believes he can save tens of millions of taxpayer dollars. But Cerasoli still doesn’t have enough staff or resources to launch as many investigations as he would like.
Mark Nelson is the vice president and senior executive producer for One Crime at a Time. Michelle Rozsa is senior producer; Jody Gottlieb is the managing editor.
CNN Worldwide, a division of Turner Broadcasting System, Inc., a Time Warner Company, is the most trusted source for news and information. Its reach extends to nine cable and satellite television networks; one private place-based network; two radio networks; wireless devices around the world; CNN Digital Network, the No. 1 network of news Web sites in the United States; CNN Newsource, the world’s most extensively syndicated news service; and strategic international partnerships within both television and the digital media.
CNN confirmed to us today that Stephen Frazier is no longer with CNN International.
Since joining CNN Worldwide in 1993, he served as Senior Correspondent for CNN Presents, Senior Correspondent and co-anchor of Impact, weekend anchor for CNN Domestic, anchor for Headline News, and most recently anchor for CNN International's Your World Today and World News programs.
CNN to Focus Mammoth Spotlight on Black Experience in America
CNN Pressroom - Soledad O’Brien Anchors Documentaries, Special Reports for Four Months Beginning on Anniversary of King’s Death
Forty years after the assassination of Dr. Martin Luther King Jr., CNN will launch a sweeping on-air and digital initiative, CNN Presents: Black in America. Breaking new ground in revealing the current state of Black America, this landmark programming features six hours of documentaries, a weekly series of reports that will air on CNN/U.S. and CNN International and appear as part of a multimedia online effort. The programming, which airs over four months in 2008, focuses on fresh analysis from new voices about the real lives behind the stereotypes, statistics and identity politics that frequently frame the national dialogue about Black America.
Reported by anchor and special correspondent Soledad O’Brien, Black in America begins with the two-hour premiere of Eyewitness to Murder: The King Assassination, a first-person account of what happened on April 4, 1968.
Black in America: Eyewitness to Murder – The King Assassination, Thursday, April 3, 9 p.m. (two hours)
In this first installment of CNN’s Black in America series, O’Brien investigates how James Earl Ray, an armed robber and escaped convict, had already spent an uncommon year on the run that included plastic surgery just a month before his path collided with that of the civil rights leader in Memphis, Tenn. Through interviews with witnesses and investigators, O’Brien retraces the steps of King, Ray, the FBI and Memphis police and explores alternative scenarios of who was ultimately responsible for the murder that, for some, represented the end of the American Civil Rights era.
Black in America continues in July with two additional two-hour documentaries that will air on CNN/U.S. and CNN International:
Black in America: The Black Man, Wednesday, July 23, 9 p.m. (two hours)
Perhaps the most misreported group in America today, black men are often stereotypically depicted in the media as convicts, gang members and absentee fathers. Told through the personal stories of graduates of the 1968 class of Little Rock Central High School, their sons and grandsons, for The Black Man, O’Brien seeks to determine whether life is better for black men now than it was 40 years ago. She reports on the disparities between blacks and whites in educational, career and economic achievement and factors leading to the devastating rates of black male incarceration. Contributing expert analysis are Harvard economist Dr. Roland Fryer, Princeton professor Dr. Devah Pager, journalist/social commentator Ellis Cose; and Georgetown University professor Dr. Michael Eric Dyson; and others. O’Brien reports on successes and dissects myths to explore the state of black men in America today.
Black in America: The Black Woman & Family, Thursday, July 24, 9 p.m. (two hours)
In this installment of Black in America, O’Brien, examines the unique and varied experiences of black women and families in America. O’Brien looks at the reasons behind the disturbing statistics on single parenthood, disparities between black and white students in the classroom, and the devastating toll of HIV/AIDS on black women. The Black Woman & Family yields insights into black achievements and struggles and perspectives on King’s hopes for progress. The documentary is told through the experiences of the Houston-based Rand family with expert commentary from economist and Bennett College president Julianne Malveaux, Essence magazine editor-in-chief Angela Burt-Murray, Dallas-based preacher and life coach Bishop T.D. Jakes, TV/radio personality Michael Baisden, entrepreneur and activist Russell Simmons, actor Vanessa Williams, Centers for Disease Control and Prevention researcher Dr. Camara Jones and others.
As part of the Black in America series, weekly special reports will air between April and June that investigate topics including parenthood and marital rates among black adults, high rates of HIV/AIDS among African Americans, achievement gaps in education, careers, and even disparities in life expectancy rates between African Americans and the general population. These reports will debut after the world premiere of Eyewitness to Murder: The King Assassination.
“Only CNN could and would undertake a project this comprehensive and ambitious,” said Mark Nelson, vice president and senior executive producer for CNN Productions. “So many passionate journalists have poured themselves into this effort, turning up some surprising storylines and controversial theories about what’s been happening to black people in this country. The stories they will tell will impact all Americans.”
“As we developed this series, it was critical to go beyond what viewers believe and already know to introduce them to the real people behind the headlines that we report every day on our assignments,” O’Brien said.
CNN.com’s interactive special section for Black in America, available at www.CNN.com/blackinamerica, will launch in late March and will feature excerpts from the series and exclusive interviews with eyewitnesses to history. The section also will include timelines, maps and multimedia stories that highlight the ripple effects the King assassination had on the United States.
Bud Bultman and Steve Robinson are the managing editors for Black in America. Jeffery Reid is an executive producer; James Polk is a senior producer for the series; Jen Christensen and Elise Zeiger are producers. Mark Nelson is the vice president and senior executive producer for CNN Productions. Black in America was filmed in high definition.
Soledad O’Brien has reported on human events, politics, natural disasters and war zones from across the nation and around the world. O’Brien was part of the CNN teams that were recognized with a George Foster Peabody Award for the network’s Hurricane Katrina coverage and an Alfred I. DuPont Award for coverage of the Southeast Asian tsunami disaster. She has been named one of the National Urban League’s “Women of Power” and both Essence and Black Enterprise magazines have named O’Brien to their “40 under 40” lists. In April, O'Brien will be the first recipient of the Soledad O’Brien Freedom’s Voice Award, created in her honor to recognize outstanding catalysts for social change by Community Voices: Healthcare for the Underserved and Morehouse School of Medicine. The award will recognize her accomplishments, her commitment to cover stories that might otherwise go untold and her steadfast willingness to be a voice for the voiceless.
CNN Worldwide, a division of Turner Broadcasting System, Inc., a Time Warner Company, is the most trusted source for news and information. Its reach extends to nine cable and satellite television networks; one private place-based network; two radio networks; wireless devices around the world; CNN Digital Network, the No. 1 network of news Web sites in the United States; CNN Newsource, the world’s most extensively syndicated news service; and strategic international partnerships within both television and the digital media.
Scott Zamost to Join CNN’s Investigative Team in Atlanta
CNN Pressroom - Award-Winning Producer to Contribute to Special Investigations Unit, CNN Presents, Other Programs
Scott Zamost, an investigative journalist who has won nearly every major broadcast journalism award for his hard-hitting reports, has joined CNN as an investigative producer, it was announced today by Mark Nelson, vice president and senior executive producer of CNN Productions. Zamost will be based at the network’s world headquarters in Atlanta.
“For more than 15 years, Scott has maintained a reputation as one of the most astute and accomplished investigative journalists in the country,” Nelson said. “So when we learned that he was seeking new opportunities to expand his investigative efforts, we were not surprised that many networks and news stations actively sought him out. I’m pleased to say we won.”
“Investigative reporting has been my passion and the root of my journalistic endeavors for many years,” Zamost said. “I’m honored to join CNN as it expands its enterprise reporting efforts and have the opportunity to take my investigations to a national and global level.”
Zamost most recently was the investigative producer for WTVJ-TV/NBC 6 in Miami where his stories received national attention. Among his investigations were “Citizenship For Sale,” which revealed how illegal immigrants traveled to Florida to purchase Indian tribe memberships with the promise they could stay in the United States, and “Selling Innocence” about how parents were exploiting their own children as child models online.
Prior to WTVJ-TV/NBC 6, Zamost was an investigative producer for WPLG-TV in Miami and a producer for CBS News in New York. Before his broadcast journalism career, Zamost was a reporter and gaming editor at the Las Vegas Sun and a contributing editor to Las Vegan Magazine. He also worked as a reporter, columnist and assistant editor at the Sun-Sentinel in Fort Lauderdale.
His awards include a national award from Investigative Reporters and Editors and a National Press Club award in 2007; two National Clarion awards for investigative reporting; four Edward R. Murrow awards; three National Headliner awards; numerous state, regional and national awards from the Associated Press and the Society of Professional Journalists and 23 Emmy awards and 43 Emmy nominations.
Zamost received his bachelor’s degree in broadcast journalism from Northwestern University’s Medill School of Journalism.
CNN Worldwide, a division of Turner Broadcasting System, Inc., a Time Warner Company, is the most trusted source for news and information. Its reach extends to nine cable and satellite television networks; one private place-based network; two radio networks; wireless devices around the world; CNN Digital Network, the No. 1 network of news Web sites in the United States; CNN Newsource, the world’s most extensively syndicated news service; and strategic international partnerships within both television and the digital media.
I was browsing around CNN.com tonight and came across a Behind The Scenes Video of God's Warriors. It is a great behind-the-scenes look into the making of the 3-day documentary shown on CNN earlier this year. Definitely worth the watch!
Abbie Boudreau to Join CNN’s Investigative Team in Atlanta
CNN Presroom - Emmy Winner’s Arrival Marks Expansion of News Network’s Investigative Efforts
Abbie Boudreau, a multiple Emmy-winning investigative reporter with ABC15 in Phoenix, will join CNN as an investigative correspondent, it was announced today by Mark Nelson, vice president and senior executive producer of CNN Productions which produces CNN: Special Investigations Unit, CNN Presents and other programming. Boudreau, who will join CNN Oct. 15, will be based at the network’s world headquarters in Atlanta.
“Abbie comes as a welcome addition to CNN as we continue expanding our investigative reporting with CNN: Special Investigations Unit and other long-form programming and investigative packages,” Nelson said. “In Phoenix, she demonstrated the rare ability to uncover stories with national implications from a local station. With the resources of CNN at her disposal, we anticipate even more high-impact results.”
“Investigative reporting is my passion, and I’m honored to join CNN as it expands its enterprise reporting efforts through Special Investigations Unit and other distinctive programs,” Boudreau said.
While at ABC15, Boudreau’s investigations exposed a cult posing as a drug-rehabilitation center for teenagers and uncovered improper spending habits of the Minuteman Civil Defense Corps, a report that won her a regional Edward R. Murrow award. In 2005, she was the first to report a possible design flaw produced by Cooper Tire & Rubber Co., the nation’s fourth largest tire manufacturer. A year later, the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration launched an investigation into possible tire tread-separation defects in a line of Cooper tires.
Boudreau joined ABC15 after working as an investigative reporter and fill-in anchor for WWMT in Kalamazoo, Mich. She began her career in Dubuque, Iowa, as a reporter.
Boudreau’s awards include four Rocky Mountain Emmy Awards for investigative reporting and writing, two regional Edward R. Murrow awards and honors from such groups as the Arizona AP Broadcasters Association, the Society of Professional Journalists and the American College of Emergency Physicians. Recently, her investigation into Cooper Tires earned her another regional Emmy nomination.
Boudreau received her bachelor’s degree from Loyola University of Chicago and her master’s degree in broadcast journalism from Northwestern University’s Medill School of Journalism.
CNN Worldwide, a division of Turner Broadcasting System, Inc., a Time Warner Company, is the most trusted source for news and information. Its reach extends to nine cable and satellite television networks; one private place-based network; two radio networks; wireless devices around the world; CNN Digital Network, the No. 1 network of news Web sites in the United States; CNN Newsource, the world’s most extensively syndicated news service; and strategic international partnerships within both television and the digital media.
Soledad O'Brien hosts Black In America 2: Solutions on CNN this July. More information to follow in the coming months.
CNN Pressroom
