CNN Press Release - CNN's Ivan Watson (@IvanCNN) has been promoted to Senior International Correspondent, it was announced today by Parisa Khosravi, Senior Vice President of International Newsgathering for CNN Worldwide.

Watson, who is based at CNN Istanbul, joined the network four years ago and has since covered a number of major news events like the Haiti earthquake in 2010 and the Arab Spring. He's most recently reported from Syria, and has extensively covered the the impact that story has made in Turkey and the surrounding region.

Note from Parisa Khosravi:

I am pleased to announce Ivan Watson's promotion to Senior International Correspondent. Ivan's excellent reporting speaks for itself, and we are proud to acknowledge his contribution to CNN's international coverage in the past few years.

Congratulations, Ivan.

Parisa.

CNN Press Release - Sara Sidner is moving to CNN’s Jerusalem bureau as senior international correspondent, the network announced today.

Sidner will join CNN’s contingent of correspondents across the region, as the network underlines its commitment to Israel and the Middle East. In addition to its Jerusalem bureau, CNN has a production hub in Abu Dhabi as well as major operations in Amman, Cairo, Baghdad, Dubai and Beirut, where just last week the network added both a correspondent and producer/shooter.

Parisa Khosravi, Senior Vice President for CNN Worldwide in charge of International Newsgathering, said: “Sara’s drive, commitment, bravery and intelligence shines through in her reporting. Her work in Libya last year was truly inspiring, and I know that she will bring many valuable qualities to our Jerusalem bureau.”

Sidner shared the Achievement of the Year award at the 2011 Sky Women in Film & TV Awards for her reporting during the conflict in Libya. The WFT panel praised the example she had set to colleagues by taking to the streets alongside rebel fighters and reporting under fire in Tripoli.

With more than 15 years of television journalism experience, she has covered many stories of national and international importance, including the Mumbai terrorist attacks, the Pakistan floods, the Chile and Haiti earthquakes and Afghanistan’s elections. Most recently she has been based in New Delhi, where she was responsible for CNN’s coverage of India and South Asia.

CNN today announced Vladimir Duthiers as its new correspondent in Nigeria. As we previously noted, Duthiers was first spotted from the region earlier this year when previous correspondent Christian Purefoy left the network. CNN's press release below.

CNN Press Release: Vladimir Duthier is to take on the role of CNN international correspondent based in Lagos, Nigeria, the network announced today.

Duthiers will join CNN’s contingent of Africa-based correspondents across the continent, as the network reaffirms its commitment to Nigeria.  CNN currently has key bureaux in Lagos, Nairobi and Johannesburg – all headed up by bureau chief Kim Norgaard – as well as three weekly programmes on CNN International focused on the continent: Marketplace Africa, Inside Africa and African Voices.

Parisa Khosravi, Senior Vice President for CNN Worldwide in charge of International Newsgathering, said: “Vladimir’s passion for journalism, impressive business background and his knack as a natural storyteller make him a fantastic choice to cover such a vibrant country and region.”

Duthiers joined CNN in 2009 as part of Christiane Amanpour's original news programme, Amanpour. He most recently served as an associate producer for Anderson Cooper 360°.

When an earthquake shook Haiti in January 2010, Duthiers was among the first journalists to arrive in Port-au-Prince. He spent several weeks on the ground field producing for CNN – including the AC360° team – which went on to win two Emmy awards for its coverage of the quake.

Earlier this year, Duthiers was on the scene as the Occupy Nigeria movement exploded onto the streets of Lagos. His reporting put the focus on the economic struggles of ordinary Nigerians and the tensions surrounding recent attacks by the Islamist terror group, Boko Haram.

Duthiers, who is fluent in French and Haitian Creole, has taken an unusual route to a career in journalism. Prior to joining CNN, he spent nearly 20 years in the financial services industry, travelling extensively around the world for clientele in 21 countries.

Duthiers holds a B.A. in Political Science from the University of Rhode Island and an M.S. from Columbia University’s Graduate School of Journalism.

Nick Paton Walsh has joined CNN as an international correspondent. Walsh has been reporting for CNN as a freelance journalist since March 2011. He was previously Asia correspondent for the UK's Channel 4. CNN's press release below.

CNN Press Release: Award-winning correspondent Nick Paton Walsh joins CNN

Award-winning journalist Nick Paton Walsh has joined CNN as an international correspondent, it was announced by Parisa Khosravi, senior vice president of international newsgathering.

Walsh made his name and reputation as a tenacious and committed reporter through more than a decade working at the UK's Guardian newspaper and Channel 4 News.

"Nick is an accomplished and respected journalist, bringing with him an impressive portfolio of award-winning coverage on stories of global significance," Khosravi said. "We are pleased to add him to our excellent team of journalists at CNN and look forward to his reporting across the international news agenda," she added.

Nick first reported for CNN in March 2011, from Afghanistan and Pakistan. He was subsequently the first correspondent for CNN reporting live from Abbotabad covering the death of Osama Bin Laden, where he obtained exclusive video from inside the al-Qaeda leader's compound and broke the global story that a courier's cellphone signal had led American troops there.

Prior to taking up his position with CNN, Walsh spent several years traveling to Kabul as Channel 4 News' Asia correspondent. Amongst numerous stories during his time with the British broadcaster, he was embedded with troops in locations across Afghanistan from Kandahar to Helmand, gained rare access to a tiny and isolated American outpost near the Pakistani border which was overrun by insurgents and covered the 2009 presidential election crisis.

Previously, while Asia and foreign affairs correspondent at Channel 4 News he secured a rare and exclusive interview with the Russian alleged arms dealer Viktor Bout, while his teams' reports on alleged human rights abuses in Sri Lanka at the end of the civil war led to their forced deportation from the country. Walsh was also the program's undercover correspondent in Zimbabwe for the violent 2008 elections, reported on the July 2008 war between Russia and Georgia, the Mumbai hotel sieges in India, Naxalite rebels in Chhattisgarh, India and the protests that shook Bangkok in May 2010.

From 2002 to 2006, he was the Moscow Correspondent for the Guardian newspaper during the rise of Vladimir Putin. He reported on both the Dubrovka theatre siege and the Beslan school hostage crisis, alongside the revolutions in Georgia, Ukraine, and Kyrgyzstan and developments from the troubled North Caucasus.

Walsh won the British Press Awards' Young Journalist of the Year in 2000 and four years later was nominated for their Foreign Correspondent award for the Guardian's coverage of the Beslan school hostage crisis. He won Amnesty International's Gaby Rado Award for his work in the former Soviet Union and their television award for his work in Sri Lanka in 2010. In February this year his work in Kandahar, Afghanistan was part of a body of reports that won Channel 4 News the prestigious Broadcast television award for news and current affairs coverage.

CNN's Senior VP of International Newsgathering Parisa Khosravi announced this week that longtime CNN reporter/producer Liz Neisloss is joining CNN's Singapore bureau:

As part of our continued commitment to Content Ownership Strategy, Liz Neisloss is now based in Singapore and will be reporting for us from the region.

As many of you know, Liz is a long-time CNNer, having produced for Richard Roth at the UN, and in recent years been based in Chennai, India.

We look forward to Liz’s excellent reporting to add to our expanded coverage in the region.

CNN Press Release - Nima Elbagir joins CNN as a London-based international correspondent, it was announced today by Parisa Khosravi, senior vice president of international newsgathering for CNN Worldwide.

Below is the announcement Khosravi circulated to CNN staff Monday:

"I am proud to announce the appointment of Nima Elbagir as an International Correspondent, based in London. An award-winning journalist, Nima has been freelancing for us in the past year and covered a number of top stories including Afghanistan, the violence against women in Congo, and the referendum in Sudan.

Nima was born in Sudan and speaks fluent Arabic; from her base in London she will also be traveling and reporting from Africa and the Mideast.

Nima's experience, personal knowledge and background further strengthen our newsgathering team worldwide, as we continue our commitment to Content Ownership Strategy.

Nima, welcome to CNN!"

Earlier: Elbagir; Santos Freelance For CNN International

CNN Press Release - CNN Worldwide will add three new international correspondents in Afghanistan, China and the United Arab Emirates, it was announced today by Parisa Khosravi, senior vice president of international newsgathering.

Over the past 12 months, CNN has appointed more than a dozen correspondents in seven new locations as part of an aggressive content ownership strategy. These latest hires boost CNN’s international newsgathering locations to 33.

“The resources available to CNN’s international newsgathering team have never been more robust,” Khosravi said. “By adding correspondents in these three strategic areas, CNN underscores its international newsgathering heritage.”

In Kabul, Afghanistan, Atia Abawi will serve as correspondent responsible for covering the country and the on-going war there. Abawi, a former assignment editor and producer for CNN’s international desk in Atlanta, joined CNN in 2004 and has worked on a number of stories including the assassination of former Pakistani Prime Minister Benazir Bhutto, the Afghanistan-Korean hostage situation and Youssif, the young Iraqi boy burned by insurgents in Iraq.

Stan Grant returns to CNN after spending two years in his native Australia and takes up the new post of UAE-based correspondent. He will serve to cover both the UAE and the surrounding region from his base in CNN’s new Abu Dhabi newsgathering and production center slated to open later this year. Previously, Grant served as a Hong Kong-based anchor for CNN International and later as the network’s Beijing-based correspondent, where he gained recognition for his exclusive coverage of the Tamil Tigers in Sri Lanka in the aftermath of the South Asian tsunami.

Emily Chang, who joins John Vause as the second correspondent in Beijing, boosts CNN’s presence in China at a time when many media outlets are reducing their coverage in the post-Olympic climate. Chang has already reported on a variety of stories including the 2008 Beijing Olympic Games, the tainted milk scandal and the effects of the global financial crisis on China.

Over the past year, CNN has also announced the opening of newsgathering operations in Chennai, India; Lagos, Nigeria; Mumbai, India; Nairobi, Kenya; and Santiago, Chile, where CNN Chile launched late last year. In addition, CNN has placed correspondents in Istanbul, Turkey; Islamabad, Pakistan; Johannesburg, South Africa; London, Great Britain and Tokyo, Japan.

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 continues to grow its reporting strength with the appointment of Ivan Watson as an international correspondent based in Istanbul, Turkey. Watson returns to CNN from NPR where he has reported from many of the world’s trouble spots in recent years.

Prior to joining NPR, Watson was a producer for CNN based in Moscow. In this new position, he will continue to cover major international stories around the world as well as from Turkey. CNN’s Istanbul bureau complements CNN’s other operations in Turkey, which includes CNN Turk, a Turkish-language news service, jointly operated by Turner Broadcasting International and Turkey’s Dogan Media Group.

“Having Ivan back in the CNN family is a great coup for us,” said Parisa Khosravi, senior vice president for international newsgathering. “As we continue to invest in and grow our newsgathering strength, Ivan will be an important part of our international reporting team.”

Over the past year, CNN has announced the opening of new newsgathering operations in Abu Dhabi, which will include a new production center; Chennai, India; Lagos, Nigeria; Mumbai, India; Nairobi, Kenya; and Santiago, Chile, where CNN Chile launched last month. In addition, CNN has placed new and additional correspondents in Islamabad, Pakistan; Johannesburg, South Africa; London and Tokyo.

Watson has reported extensively from many countries in Africa, the Middle East and Eastern Europe. He worked for CBS News, before joining CNN and then NPR.

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 Pressroom - Reza Sayah Joins Network as International Correspondent as Pakistan Nears Elections

Continuing its unprecedented expansion into international newsgathering, CNN Worldwide has appointed Reza Sayah as an international correspondent based in Pakistan, it was announced today by Parisa Khosravi, senior vice president of international newsgathering.

Sayah, an investigative reporter and anchor for WXYZ/Channel 7 in Detroit for the past six years, joins the network as Pakistan recovers from the assassination of former Prime Minister Benazir Bhutto and eventually engages in a nationwide election for president.

“Our expansion of personnel in Pakistan is part of our ongoing plan to gather and provide more content for all of CNN, especially since Pakistan remains a very important story on the international scene,” Khosravi said. “Reza has a proven track record of solid reporting in the field and resourcefulness in getting to the critical elements of the story.”

Through his 12-year career, Sayah has covered a variety of high-profile national and international stories including Hurricane Katrina and the sniper shootings in the Washington, D.C., area.

Born in Iran, Sayah speaks English, Farsi and French and earned a bachelor’s degree in communications from Pepperdine University and a master’s degree in journalism from the University of Missouri. In addition to WXYZ, Sayah has worked at KOMU-TV in Columbia, Mo., WTAJ-TV in Altoona, Pa., and WTVR-TV in Richmond, Va.

Sayah’s hire stands as one part of the biggest expansion of international newsgathering resources in CNN’s 27-year history. Other plans include the significant increase of correspondents worldwide, and major investments in a London-based digital-production unit, CNN’s International Newsource and CNN’s in-house wire operations.

CNN currently manages 29 international editorial operations and bureaus, which includes the opening of a new bureau and production center in the United Arab Emirates, the appointment of two new correspondents and operations in India and a correspondent in Japan. In the coming weeks, CNN will announce additional resources and correspondents in Africa.


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 Pressroom - Network Appoints Sara Sidner as New Delhi Correspondent; Liz Neisloss as Chennai Correspondent

CNN today announced the opening of new editorial operations in Chennai, India, as well as the appointment of two new India-based correspondents. Sara Sidner, currently of KTVU-TV in San Francisco/Oakland, will be the network’s New Delhi-based international correspondent starting in January 2008 while Liz Neisloss, a former CNN senior producer, will be based in Chennai effective immediately.

“The rapid growth in India in terms of global business and regional political influence underlines how crucial these appointments are as part of CNN’s international expansion,” said Parisa Khosravi, senior vice president of CNN International newsgathering. “With Sara and Liz now confirmed, we can combine that with the strength of our sister network CNN-IBN and have a powerful editorial presence in India.”

Sidner comes to CNN having been the weekend news anchor for KTVU as well as being a field reporter, where she won a number of awards. With more than 12 years of experience, Sidner has also worked in a number of other TV news markets in Texas, Florida and Missouri.

“To be part of CNN’s international team of correspondents is an opportunity that any journalist would relish,” Sidner said. “To be based in India as CNN expands its newsgathering operations makes the challenge and responsibility all the more rewarding.”

Also as part of CNN’s international newsgathering expansion, Neisloss becomes the network’s international correspondent in Chennai, a city in southern India formerly known as Madras.

With CNN from 1990 to 2006, Neisloss was an award-winning senior CNN producer and correspondent, having traveled widely and also covered the United Nations in New York since 1997. In this new position, Neisloss will cover not just the southern part of India but also support the CNN bureau in New Delhi.

“Liz has vast experience working in an international environment, and I’m delighted that she has taken up this new position,” Khosravi said. “As ever, Liz has already hit the ground running and covered a number of stories.”

This new position in South India is part of the multi-million dollar investment that CNN announced earlier this month and that will see an additional editorial resources and correspondents based in a number of countries. New operations are also planned for Afghanistan, Belgium, Kenya, Malaysia, Nigeria, the Philippines, Poland and Vietnam.

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 Newsource correspondent Kyung Lah has been appointed as a Tokyo-based international correspondent assigned to cover Japan and other regional assignments; it was announced today by Parisa Khosravi, senior vice president of international newsgathering for CNN.

As a national correspondent for CNN Newsourse based in Washington, D.C., Lah covered major news stories including the Virginia Tech and Amish school shootings, the recent “Jena 6” racial demonstrations as well as political stories for approximately 800 CNN Newsource partner stations.

Lah recently worked on assignment in Tokyo for CNN International covering a broad range of business, technology and sporting stories including the dramatic China Air plane crash in Okinawa and growing concern over the safety of nuclear facilities situated in earth quake zones.

“To be able to recruit such a strong candidate for an international assignment from within CNN shows the depth of skills and talent that we have across our networks,” Khosravi said. “Kyung has a real passion for international news, and her Newsource experience will be invaluable as she serves the demands of CNN’s many networks and services.”

Lah joined CNN Newsource from KNBC-Los Angeles, where she served as a morning news reporter for Today in L.A. and as a midday anchor. During her time at KNBC, she covered such stories as Arnold Schwarzenegger’s election as California’s governor, the 2003 California wild fires and the Michael Jackson trial. Prior to that, Lah was a reporter in Chicago for the CBS affiliate, WBBM.

In San Diego, Lah worked as a general assignment and long-form investigative reporter at ABC affiliate KGTV, where she won a regional Emmy for specialty reporting. Her first reporting position was at CBS affiliate, WWMT in Kalamazoo, Mich.

Born is Seoul, South Korea, Lah graduated with honors from the University of Illinois with a bachelor's degree in 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.