Renowned international reporter to speak at URI on September 26

Christiane Amanpour to speak on press freedom, ‘Truthful Not Neutral’ journalism in a post-truth world

Dawn Bergantino

Christiane Amanpour. Photo by John Nowak,
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During an age when members of the news media are increasingly finding themselves at risk – both at home and abroad – for doing their jobs, how do journalists differentiate between coverage that is balanced, objective, neutral and, most importantly, truthful? 

This is one of the many questions CNN Chief International Anchor Christiane Amanpour will address when she returns to her alma mater, the University of Rhode Island, to speak at the Harrington School of Communication and Media on Sept. 26.

A 1983 alumna and 1995 honorary degree recipient, Amanpour endowed an annual speaker series in 2007, which is designed to bring well-respected journalists to campus each year. 

Among those who have spoken at the annual Amanpour Lecture are: Stephen Adler, president and editor-in-chief of Reuters News; Pulitzer Prize-winning reporter C.J. Chivers of The New York Times; author and former ABC News journalist Carole Radziwill; and Charles Sennott, former Boston Globe Middle East bureau chief, who also founded both the Ground Truth Project and Global Post.

“We are deeply grateful to Christiane for her continuous support of the Harrington School of Communication and Media. Beyond establishing a lecture series, serving on our advisory board, and supporting global experiences for students and faculty, she is an inspiration to our students and faculty and an example of journalistic excellence,” said Adam Roth, director of the Harrington School and associate dean of the College of Arts and Sciences. 

“Her visit to the University comes at a crucial time, as we see a proliferation of fake news reports fueled by social media, and while journalists in the United States are increasingly under fire for asking tough questions of people in power and working to hold them accountable.”

In addition to serving as CNN’s chief international anchor, Amanpour is host of the network’s award-winning flagship global affairs program “Amanpour,” which also airs on PBS in the United States. 

Amanpour’s career in journalism spans more than three decades. She joined CNN in 1983 as an entry-level assistant on the international assignment desk at CNN’s Atlanta headquarters and rose through the organization, becoming a reporter at the New York bureau, and later the network’s leading international correspondent. 

She has reported on international crises in the Gulf War, Iraq, Afghanistan, North Korea, Palestinian territories, Iran, Pakistan, Somalia, Rwanda, the Balkans, Egypt and Libya, among others.

Over the past two decades Amanpour has interviewed most of the top world leaders and received every major broadcast award, including an inaugural Television Academy Award, 11 News and Documentary Emmys, four George Foster Peabody Awards, and nine honorary degrees.

In addition to her work as an anchor and reporter, Amanpour is a board member of the Committee to Protect Journalists, the Centre for Public Integrity, and the International Women’s Media Foundation. She has used her profile to raise awareness of key global issues and journalists’ rights.

Amanpour’s talk, “Truthful Not Neutral,” is sponsored by URI’s Harrington School of Communication and Media and will be held on Sept. 26 at 7:30 p.m.in Edwards Hall, 64 Upper College Road on the Kingston Campus. 

The lecture is open to the public. Advance registration is required. Tickets will be $10 per person, with free admission granted to the first 125 URI students who register. 

All proceeds from ticket sales will be donated to the URI Taricani Lecture Series on First Amendment Rights in honor of Christiane’s first mentor. Visit Harrington.uri.edu/Amanpour for more information and tickets.