CNN’s chief international anchor, Christiane Amanpour, has announced she will leave the organisation next year after more than four decades.
“After many months of thought and a few sleepless nights, I have decided to separate from CNN, my partner of 43 fantastic years!” Amanpour said in a statement.
The 68-year-old said she “looks forward to interesting new projects down the line, and will always be rooting for CNN and maintaining its history of independent journalism. Remember: always be truthful, not neutral”.
CNN chairman Mark Thompson described her as “one of the most trusted and beloved journalists anywhere” and said the network will take time to celebrate her “before she departs next year”.
Amanpour began working for CNN in 1983 as an assistant on the international news desk, and went on to become one of the network’s best-known correspondents, often reporting on conflicts and wars.
She has presented her own nightly interview program on CNN International since 2009.
Getty ImagesIn a memo to staff on Monday, Thompson wrote: “Christiane has thought carefully about this decision, and she and I have been discussing it for some months.
“Like so many CNNers who will hear the news today, I’m very sorry to see her go, but I’ve come to accept that this is the right time for her, both personally and professionally.
“In the meantime, on behalf of the entire CNN leadership team, I want to thank Christiane for 43 extraordinary years of remarkable journalism, loyalty and friendship,” he added.
In her own statement, Amanpour said she wanted to thank “all the amazingly talented people I’ve worked with throughout this incredible journey. Especially my beloved show teams and field crews.”
Amanpour reflected on her “very first big exciting assignment covering the First Gulf War, to the horrors of the Bosnian War, Rwanda, Afghanistan, Ukraine and Iran and all the points in between”.
“It’s the teams and the camaraderie that counted so much,” she continued, “as we together battled to seek the facts, the evidence and the humanity, so that CNN could always broadcast the truth about the world and to the world, without fear nor favour.”