S1 Ep4: The Making Of Christiane Amanpour - Journalism, Truth, Motherhood & George Floyd

Welcome to the fourth episode of The Making Of... from The Female Lead. Our guest this week is the Chief International Anchor of CNN, Christiane Amanpour. To say that Christiane is a powerhouse is an understatement - she has covered every major war zone, interviewed the world’s most powerful leaders and asked hundreds of difficult questions in the toughest situations. We asked Christiane to choose six key life moments that have made her who she is today and her list is as formidable as you might imagine with some great revelations including her work as a pub cleaner and the time a political leader slammed the phone down on her, live on TV.
Our conversation didn’t just cover Christiane’s incredible life. This episode was recorded in June 2020, just after George Floyd’s death, and so we spent the first part talking about the BLM protests happening around the world and Christiane gave her candid view on how journalists should deal with the question of impartiality during these important times.
We recorded the interview over zoom, at the height of lockdown, so please bear with us as some bits may sound a little wobbly.
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Christiane Amanpour is CNN's chief international anchor of the network's award-winning, flagship global affairs program "Amanpour," which also airs on PBS in the United States. Beginning in 1983 as an entry-level assistant on the international assignment desk at CNN's headquarters in Atlanta, Amanpour rose through the organisation becoming a reporter at the New York bureau, and later, the network's leading international correspondent.
Amanpour's fearless and uncompromising approach made her popular with audiences, and a force to be reckoned with by global influencers -- in 1996, Newsweek said that her reporting from conflict hotspots in the Gulf and the Balkans had helped make CNN 'must-see TV for world leaders'
Amanpour has earned every major television journalism award including eleven News and Documentary Emmy Awards, four Peabody Awards, nine honorary degrees, has been named a CBE, is an honorary citizen of Sarajevo and a UNESCO Goodwill Ambassador for Freedom of the Press and the Safety of Journalists.
* The Making Of is hosted by Bea Appleby and is edited by Lauren Lind. The production is brought to you by The Female Lead and the whole series is very kindly sponsored by Missoma