Prior to the United States 2008 presidential campaign, I was not a fan of the
Cable News Network (CNN), for obvious reasons - it focuses a lot on the U.S., with limited international news. During the campaign, I became a stunch fan of the news network - inspired by the professional reporters, anchors and political analysts like
Bill Schneider,
Roland S. Martin,
Candy Crowley,
David Gergen, who gave varying opinions about the man -
Barack Obama who was taking the world by storm. The heated presidential debates on CNN were mind boggling and the panel of the "best political team on television" made the events surrounding the debates even more engaging. Below is a list (not in order of merit) of my 10 favorite CNN anchors and reporters, as of today.
1)
Richard Quest: He covers breaking news and business stories. His regular programme -
"CNN Business Traveller" is one of my favorite television programmes and source of one of my favorite quotes:
"Wherever your travels may take you, I hope it's profitable." - Richard Quest.
2)
Christiane Amanpour: She sits with royalties, interviews and debates with heads of states, including Mahmoud Ahmadinejad of Iran, Robert Mugabe of Zimbabwe, Hamid Karzai of Afghanistan, Tony Blair, Jacques Chirac, Pervez Musharraf, you name it - in her 30-minutes daily interview programme -
Amanpour.
3)
Larry King: Who doesn't know Larry King? He's the Emmy Award-winning host of CNN's highest-rated programme -
Larry King Live. He's called the "master of the mike" and according to CNN has done more than 40,000 interviews.
4)
Wolf Blitzer: He's CNN's lead political anchor and host of
The Situation Room - a political news programme that airs every weekday and Saturday evenings. I vividly remember his coverage of the 2008 U.S. election night - when he said,
"CNN can now project that Barack Obama, 47 years old will become the President Elect of the United States."
5)
Anderson Cooper: He's one of the best anchors and reporters in the network, and host of the programme -
Anderson Cooper 360°. I've watched him closely and would call him a "humanitarian in his own right" - for his role in the 2005 Hurricane Katrina and the 2010 earthquake in Haiti.
6)
Jeanne Moos: She reports on unusual stories, with a touch of satire. She cracks jokes and makes fun of an otherwise depressing story. You'd agree that news is predominantly depressing, but thanks to people like Jeanne Moos, you can always find something to laugh about.
7)
Isha Sesay: She anchors one of my favorite weekly programmes -
"Inside Africa". As a matter of fact, yesterday, I watched an edition of another programme -
"African Voices", where she highlighted the remarkable story of
Isaiah Washington.
8)
Errol Barnett: He incorporates social media into CNN reporting, in his programme -
"iReport for CNN". He joined CNN recently - in 2008 and has prospects of a bright future with the network.
9)
Becky Anderson: Presenter of CNN's
"Connect The World". She presents with confidence and talks just like Richard Quest. A lady to watch!
10)
Fareed Zakaria: Anchor of
"Fareed Zakaria - GPS", a weekly programme focused on international affairs. According to CNN, Fareed has a bachelor's degree from Yale university and a doctorate in political science from Havard University. The guy is well-schooled and knows what he's talking about. You won't be disappointed.
Now that you know my 10 favorite CNN anchors and reporters, I'm confident you can decipher my favorite topics in the news.
Who are your favorite CNN anchors and reporters?
I look forward to reading your comments.
Prior to the United States 2008 presidential campaign, I was not a fan of the Cable News Network (CNN), for obvious reasons - it focuses a lot on the U.S., with limited international news. During the campaign, I became a stunch fan of the news network - inspired by the professional reporters, anchors and political analysts like Bill Schneider, Roland S. Martin, Candy Crowley, David Gergen, who gave varying opinions about the man - Barack Obama who was taking the world by storm. The heated presidential debates on CNN were mind boggling and the panel of the "best political team on television" made the events surrounding the debates even more engaging. Below is a list (not in order of merit) of my 10 favorite CNN anchors and reporters, as of today.
1) Richard Quest: He covers breaking news and business stories. His regular programme - "CNN Business Traveller" is one of my favorite television programmes and source of one of my favorite quotes: "Wherever your travels may take you, I hope it's profitable." - Richard Quest.
Great article. I don't recognize couple of them, probably because they are in the international sector of CNN. But I do love Anderson Cooper (our very own AC 360) and of course, Wolf Blittzer - he is a seasoned journalist and I tend to think of all those CNN big boys, he is conservative; I get that feeling. But great article, as always.
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