Christiane Amanpour Leaves CNN, Joins ABC’s This Week
To the anguish of CNN, the face of its international news coverage, Christiane Amanpour, will soon be seen as anchor of ABC News show, "This Week."
Amanpour, who has become an international face, for her association with CNN has decided to switch over to ABC, where she will host “This Week,” apart from her other engagements with the channel, such as providing international analysis of important issues and anchoring primetime documentaries on international subjects.
Amanpour’s appointment as ABC host has come as a surprise to many, as she will be the first anchor of TV Sunday Beltway with a distinctly non-American accent, provided that she is the daughter of a British mother and an Iranian father.
However, ABC News President David Westin is all praise for Amanpour. In an e-mail to his staff, Westin wrote that "With Christiane, we have the opportunity to provide our audiences with something different on Sunday mornings. We will continue to provide the best in interviews and analysis about domestic politics and policies. But now we will add to that an international perspective. All of us know how much the international and the domestic have come to affect one another -- whether it's global conflict, terrorism, humanitarian crises, or the economy."
Amanpour comes as a replacement for George Stephanopoulos, who has left the show to replace Diane Sawyer in "Good Morning America," who has replaced retired Charlie Gibson and assumed the charge of anchoring ABC's evening newscast.
Amanpour, who has served as a Commander of the Most Excellent Order of the British Empire in 2007, when Queen Elizabeth II bestowed the honor on her for her "highly distinguished, innovative contribution" to journalism. She has to her credit the honorary citizenship of Bosnia, which was bestowed on her from 1992 to 1995 for her contribution to the Bosnia war by “spreading the truth."
She has a credible 18 years of record as an international journalist, who has covered almost all major crises in the world, including Iraq, Afghanistan, Gaza Strip, Israel, Pakistan, Iran, Somalia, the Balkans, and Rwanda. She has also reported on Hurricane Katrina.
CNN Worldwide President Jim Walton, in a memo to CNN staff members, said: "Her work burnished our news brand and gave it authority. In turn, the CNN imprimatur opened doors for her around the world and provided a global platform for the intelligent, courageous, principled reporting that is her signature. CNN and Christiane helped make each other great."
