Robyn Curnow

Last updated

Robyn Curnow
Born
Australia
NationalitySouth African
Education Magdalene College, Cambridge (M.Phil International Relations)
Occupationjournalist
Notable credit CNN International Desk CNN Newsroom
Website https://www.robyncurnow.net/

Robyn Curnow is a South African journalist, broadcaster, and author. She was an anchor and foreign correspondent for CNN International and CNN USA. [1]

Contents

She hosted CNN’s Newsroom with Robyn Curnow from 2020 to 2022 from the CNN Center in Atlanta, Georgia. Previously, she anchored The International Desk with Robyn Curnow from 2014 to 2019. The program was a fast-moving news show that showcased CNN’s global reach by going live to CNN's reporters around the world, tracking the day-by-day developments and global news for CNN's international viewers. [2]

Before moving to the USA, Curnow was CNN’s Africa correspondent based in Johannesburg, South Africa, from 2006 to 2014. She was based at CNN’s London Bureau as a correspondent and anchor from 2002 to 2006. [3]

After more than 20 years on-air at CNN, on 3 May 2022, Curnow announced she would be leaving CNN. [4]

Since then, she has written her debut novel and launched a podcast. Curnow is represented by talent agency CAA. [5]

Early life

Curnow was born in Perth, Australia, and raised in Johannesburg, South Africa. [6] She attended St Katharine’s and St Mary’s School for Girls in Johannesburg. Curnow has been vocal about her dyslexia, which led to her struggling at school. [7] [8]

Curnow attended the University of Natal, Pietermaritzburg, for her English and Political Science undergraduate studies. Later, while working as a reporter at the South African Broadcasting Corporation, she completed an Honours degree in Political Studies at the University of Witwatersrand. In her late twenties, she won a Chevening Scholarship to study for a Master’s degree (M.phil) in International Relations at Cambridge University. [9] She was based at Magdalene College. [10]

Curnow is the granddaughter of South African cricketer Syd Curnow who played against Australian batsman Donald Bradman in the 1930/31 test matches in Australia. Curnow’s father and brother played competitive cricket too which led her life-long love of the sport.

Her maternal grandparents, Robert and Margaret Oxley, were immigrants to South Africa from Warrington, England, after World War II. Robert was a Japanese Prisoner of War who helped build the Burma Railroad. [11] Margaret Oxley celebrated her 100th birthday in April 2024. [12]

Career

Curnow began her career at the South African Broadcasting Corporation in 1996 as a reporter for the national nightly news bulletin. She was part of a group of young reporters reporting on South Africa’s new democracy and the Presidency of Nelson Mandela. [2]

Curnow left the SABC in 2000 to study for her Master’s degree at Cambridge University. During that year, she freelanced for the BBC, working as a reporter for BBC Look East.

Curnow started reporting for CNN in 2001 in London, covering the UK and Europe. She reported on the death of Pope John Paul II from the Vatican, the London bombings, the royal family, the South Asian tsunami, and anchored coverage of the war in Iraq.

In 2006, she moved to Johannesburg, South Africa, to work as CNN’s Africa correspondent with her husband, Kim Norgaard, CNN’s Africa bureau chief.

She traveled extensively across Africa and reported on the HIV/AIDS epidemic, the 2010 FIFA World Cup, Mohammad Gaddafi at the African Union in Ethiopia, the rise of Boko Haram in Nigeria, and political upheaval in Zimbabwe. Robyn first reported from Zimbabwe during the land invasions of 2000 while at the SABC. In May 2011, she and the CNN team were detained in Harare and banned from entering the country. [13] [14]

Between 2007 and 2014, Curnow moderated numerous panels at the World Economic Forum in Africa, which featured South African President Jacob Zuma, Rwandan President Paul Kagame, Gabonese President Ali Bongo, the IMF’s Christine Lagarde, and other African and business leaders. [15]

Curnow was the founding host of CNN’s Marketplace Africa (2010), a weekly show that featured interviews and stories with Africa’s most successful businesspeople. [16] In 2013, Curnow interviewed former U.S. President George W. Bush and his wife, Laura, when they visited Zambia on a charity trip after his presidency. During the interview, President Bush called Edward Snowden a traitor. [17]

Curnow had an extensive sit-down interview in Botswana with former First Lady Michelle Obama during her official visit to Africa. [18] She also interviewed Oprah Winfrey at her girls’ school outside Johannesburg. [19] Curnow first knew Archbishop Desmond Tutu as a schoolgirl when he would preach in her school chapel at St Mary’s School for Girls in the 1980s. Later, she would interview him in Soweto, London, Cape Town, and Johannesburg. In their last conversation, she reported on his criticisms of the ruling ANC party in South Africa.

Curnow was given special access to the 80th birthday celebrations of Archbishop Desmond Tutu for an hour-long documentary on the Nobel Peace Prize Laureate. [20] She named him the person she considered a hero in a CNN special report. [21]

Curnow interviewed former U.S. President Bill Clinton in Qunu, South Africa, during his visit with First Lady Hillary Clinton to Nelson Mandela's rural home. [22] In 2013, Curnow led CNN's exclusive coverage of Nelson Mandela's ill health and death and reported live from his funeral. [23] Curnow had a long association with Mandela and his family, interviewing him many times during and after his presidency. Her conversation with him on his 90th birthday was part of the last interview he gave. [24]

In 2008, Curnow reported on double-amputee athlete Oscar Pistorius and followed his career until the London Olympics 2012. [25] After Pistorius shot dead his girlfriend Reeva Steenkamp, Curnow was the face of CNN’s coverage at the murder trial throughout 2014. [26] Her live reporting and documentary on Anderson Cooper 360 featured exclusive footage and interviews with Pistorius, his family, and his inner circle. [27] Curnow had two children while she was CNN’s Africa correspondent. She has been vocal about being a working mother and balancing breaking news coverage with babies and children.

Curnow moved to Atlanta, Georgia with her family in 2014 to host the International Desk with Robyn Curnow on CNN International.

Curnow led CNN’s coverage of several terror attacks in 2015 and 2016, including the attacks in Tunisia, Ivory Coast, Egypt, and the aftermath of the Paris and Nice attacks. Curnow’s shows charted the rise and fall of ISIS and the Syrian war.

Curnow was on air when coalition forces launched the Mosul offensive in Iraq in October 2016, which earned her and the CNN teams on the ground a News and Documentary Emmy nomination. [28]

Curnow first reported live from Havana, Cuba, during former U.S. President Barack Obama's historic visit in 2016. [29] [30] Later, she returned to Cuba to anchor CNN’s coverage of Fidel Castro's death from Havana.

In 2018, Curnow received an Emmy nomination with CNN colleagues for an airstrike on a school bus in Yemen that killed dozens of children.

In 2019, Curnow won the Royal Television Society Award for Best Breaking News Coverage for the end of President Robert Mugabe's rule in Zimbabwe with CNN's team in Harare.The coverage was described by judges as a “journalistic and technical triumph that caught the excitement of the moment but kept a cool head.” [31]

Curnow has charted the rise of Xi Jinping , Chinese ambitions, and Taiwan. Additionally, she reported extensively on Russian belligerence in Europe, hosting many discussions on Putin , NATO, the Skripal poisonings, and the Wagner group.

Curnow anchored CNN International’s coverage of the 2016 election and extensively covered former U.S. President Trump ’s presidency and administration – tracking the geopolitical and diplomatic implications for a global audience – and issues affecting Americans, such as maternal mortality, race, and immigration. Curnow broke the news President Trump had COVID on CNN USA and CNN International. [32]

In 2020, during COVID-19, Curnow anchored live from CNN Centre in Atlanta for both CNN USA and CNN International. She was on air throughout the pandemic, interviewing frontline medical workers, scientists, and other health experts. [33]

Curnow was part of the CNN team that won a duPont-Columbia award for CNN’s coverage of the death of Jamal Khashoggi.

Curnow covered the 2020 US election and the Presidency of Joe Biden. [34] She was on air during the Afghanistan withdrawal and its aftermath. [35]

Throughout 2020 and 2021, she fronted live coverage of the coup in Myanmar, the explosion in Beirut, and wildfires in Sydney and California. She earned another Emmy nomination for CNN’s coverage of China’s repressive measures toward the Uyghurs.

In addition to her broadcasting career, Curnow has written for the Washington Post, Vogue, Cosmopolitan, Marie Clare, and the International Herald Tribune. [36] Curnow has written about her daughter and father’s speech stutters in the Washington Post. [37]

Her debut novel is currently being sold in New York. She is represented by CAA for publishing and TV/movie rights. [38]

Philanthropy

Curnow is an Ambassador for the British charity Made by Dyslexia, which hosts global events at Lincoln Centre in New York, the Swedish Royal Palace in Stockholm, and the Science Museum in London. [39] [40]

Robyn and her youngest daughter are dyslexic. Robyn was recently appointed to the Board of the Schenck School in Atlanta.

Personal Life

Curnow currently lives in Atlanta, Georgia, with her family. She is married to Kim Norgaard. He is the Executive Director of CNNI Newsgathering and Security Operations. [41] [42] Norgaard ran CNN’s coverage of the Russian invasion of Ukraine from Lviv and Kyiv in 2022 and 2023. After the October 7 terror attacks in Israel, he also run CNN’s coverage of the Israel-Hamas war from Tel Aviv and Jerusalem.

They have two daughters, Freya and Hella.

Award and Recognition

Related Research Articles

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Winnie Madikizela-Mandela</span> South African activist and politician (1936–2018)

Winnie Madikizela-Mandela, also known as Winnie Mandela, was a South African anti-apartheid activist, convicted kidnapper, politician, and the second wife of Nelson Mandela. She served as a Member of Parliament from 1994 to 2003, and from 2009 until her death, and was a deputy minister of arts and culture from 1994 to 1996. A member of the African National Congress (ANC) political party, she served on the ANC's National Executive Committee and headed its Women's League. Madikizela-Mandela was known to her supporters as the "Mother of the Nation".

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Albertina Sisulu</span> South African anti-apartheid activist (1918–2011)

Albertina SisuluOMSG was a South African anti-apartheid activist. A member of the African National Congress (ANC), she was the founding co-president of the United Democratic Front. In South Africa, where she was affectionately known as Ma Sisulu, she is often called a mother of the nation.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Anderson Cooper</span> American journalist (born 1967)

Anderson Hays Cooper is an American broadcast journalist and political commentator currently anchoring the CNN news broadcast show Anderson Cooper 360°. In addition to his duties at CNN, Cooper serves as a correspondent for 60 Minutes, produced by CBS News. After graduating from Yale University with a Bachelor of Arts in 1989, he began traveling the world, shooting footage of war-torn regions for Channel One News. Cooper was hired by ABC News as a correspondent in 1995, but he soon took more jobs throughout the network, working for a short time as a co-anchor, reality game show host, and fill-in morning talk show host.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">CNN International</span> International news television channel

Cable News Network International or CNN International is an international television channel and website, owned by CNN Worldwide. CNN International carries news-related programming worldwide; it cooperates with sister network CNN's national and international news bureaus. Unlike its sister channel, CNN, a North American-only subscription service, CNN International is carried on a variety of TV platforms across the world, and broadcast from studios inside and outside the United States, in Atlanta, New York City, London, Mumbai, Hong Kong, and Abu Dhabi. In some countries, it is available as a free-to-air network. The service is aimed at the overseas market, similar to BBC News, France 24, CGTN, DW, RT, WION, NHK World, TRT World or Al Jazeera English.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Judy Woodruff</span> American broadcast journalist

Judy Carline Woodruff is an American broadcast journalist who has worked in local, network, cable, and public television news since 1970. She was the anchor and managing editor of the PBS NewsHour through the end of 2022. Woodruff has covered every presidential election and convention since 1976. She has interviewed several heads of state and moderated U.S. presidential debates.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Errol Barnett</span> British-born American television presenter

Errol Barnett is the first and only Black British broadcaster on American television. The Emmy-award winner is a British-born American anchor and national correspondent for CBS News is based in New York City. He covered the Trump administration in Washington D.C., anchored CNN Newsroom and hosted CNN International's cultural affairs program Inside Africa. During his two years at the helm of the award-winning show Barnett reported from half the continent including Senegal, Morocco, Ethiopia, and Madagascar.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Zain Verjee</span> Canadian television presenter

Zain Verjee is a Kenyan-born Canadian journalist based in Nairobi and the Los Angeles area. She is a former CNN anchor and correspondent.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Hala Gorani</span> American-Syrian journalist (born 1970)

Hala Basha-Gorani is an American journalist, working as a correspondent for NBC News. Previously she was an anchor and correspondent for CNN International, based in London. She is also a war correspondent. She previously anchored CNN's Hala Gorani Tonight weeknights at 8 p.m. CET. Gorani co-hosted Your World Today with Jim Clancy until February 2009 and then International Desk until April 2014 from CNN's Atlanta headquarters.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Suzanne Malveaux</span> American journalist (born 1966)

Suzanne Maria Malveaux is an American broadcast journalist. After joining CNN from NBC News in 2002, she co-anchored the CNN international news program Around the World and editions of CNN Newsroom and also served as the network's White House correspondent and as primary substitute to Wolf Blitzer on The Situation Room. She departed the network in 2023.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Margaret Brennan</span> American journalist

Margaret Brennan is an American journalist based in Washington, D.C. The current moderator of Face the Nation with Margaret Brennan on CBS News, she is also a fill-in and substitute anchor for CBS Evening News, and the network's chief foreign affairs correspondent. Brennan was previously a White House correspondent for CBS and has covered Washington since 2012.

Anand Naidoo is a South African anchor and correspondent for CGTN America based in Washington, DC.

Karin Thandi Giannone is a South African-born British news presenter working in the United Kingdom. She is a London-based main presenter on BBC World News.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Emily Chang (journalist)</span> American journalist

Emily Chang is an American journalist, television host, executive producer, and author. In 2023, she launched a new show with Bloomberg Originals called The Circuit where she interviews influencers in technology, business, entertainment and culture. In addition to a premium show, extended interviews are released in The Circuit podcast. Chang was the anchor and executive producer of Bloomberg Technologyfor over a decade, a daily TV show focused on global technology, and Studio 1.0, where she regularly spoke with top executives, investors, and entrepreneurs. Chang is the author of Brotopia: Breaking Up the Boys' Club of Silicon Valley, which explores gender inequality in the tech industry.

The Milpark Hospital is a private hospital in western Parktown, Johannesburg, in the area known as Milpark, and owned by Netcare Limited. It has a level 1 accredited trauma unit, and cardiology and cardio-thoracic services. It has 346 beds, of which 95 are used for high care and intensive care. The hospital also houses the only Gamma Knife unit in South Africa. The Netcare Milpark Level One Trauma Centre is the first privately owned hospital in South Africa and the most advanced healthcare facility in Southern Africa.

Nadia Bilchik is the president of Greater Impact Communications, a professional speaker, and Editorial Producer at CNN.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Brooke Baldwin</span> American journalist and television host

Lauren Brooke Baldwin is an American journalist, television host, and author who was at CNN from 2008 until 2021. Baldwin hosted CNN Newsroom with Brooke Baldwin, which aired from 3pm to 4pm ET on weekdays.

Sara Sidner is an American TV reporter who is a co-anchor of the morning edition of CNN News Central. She anchored Big Picture with Sara Sidner on CNN+, the network's short-lived subscription service.

Debora Patta is a South African investigative broadcast journalist and television producer. She was born in Southern Rhodesia and has origins from Calabria, Italy.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Reeva Steenkamp</span> South African model and murder victim

Reeva Rebecca Steenkamp was a South African model and paralegal. She modelled for FHM magazine and was the first face of Avon cosmetics in South Africa. Steenkamp once worked as the live roaming presenter for FashionTV in South Africa and starred in television advertisements for Toyota Land Cruiser, Clover Industries, Redds and Aldor Pin Pop. She was a celebrity contestant on the BBC Lifestyle show Baking Made Easy in 2012 and on Tropika Island of Treasure season 5 which aired on SABC 3 in February 2013.

Joie Chen is a Chinese American television journalist as well as an Asian American broadcast journalist. She was the anchor of Al Jazeera America's flagship evening news show America Tonight, which was launched in August 2013. In January 2016, the channel announced it would close on 12 April 2016.

References

  1. ↑ "Robyn Curnow". Robyn Curnow. Retrieved 18 May 2024.
  2. 1 2
     • "CNN Profiles – Robyn Curnow – Anchor". CNN . Retrieved 3 April 2017.[ dead link ]
     • "CNN Profiles – Robyn Curnow – Anchor". CNN . Retrieved 25 October 2018.[ dead link ]
  3. ↑ "Robyn Curnow Is Leaving CNN International". www.adweek.com. 4 May 2022. Retrieved 18 May 2024.
  4. ↑ A.J. Katz (4 May 2022). "Robyn Curnow Is Leaving CNN International". Adweek. Retrieved 4 May 2022.
  5. ↑ "The Profile: Anchor Robyn Curnow on Life After CNN - Weekend Breakfast with Sara-Jayne Makwala King". omny.fm. Retrieved 18 May 2024.
  6. ↑ "A correspondent's take on Johannesburg - CNN.com". www.cnn.com. Retrieved 18 May 2024.
  7. ↑ Curnow, Robyn (6 June 2019). "The upside to dyslexia, even as a journalist". CNN . Retrieved 1 January 2023.
  8. ↑ "[Column] Robyn Curnow: The world is waking up to the power of dyslexia". Africa Business Communities. Retrieved 1 January 2023.
  9. ↑ "Spotlight: Robyn Curnow". Cambridge. Retrieved 25 October 2018.
  10. ↑ Cardoso, Paul (16 July 2022). "The top 3 female CNN news anchors you didn't know were African". Buzz. Retrieved 18 May 2024.
  11. ↑ Curnow, Robyn (25 November 2015). "Robyn Curnow traces granddad's POW journey". CNN. Retrieved 18 May 2024.
  12. ↑ "x.com". X (formerly Twitter). Retrieved 18 May 2024.
  13. ↑ Radio, Nehanda (22 May 2011). "Charamba apologises to detained CNN crew". Nehanda Radio. Retrieved 18 May 2024.
  14. ↑ "Robyn Curnow". Robyn Curnow. Retrieved 18 May 2024.
  15. ↑ Koigi, Bob (14 March 2023). "Ellana Lee: What CNN's investment in telling the African story represents". Africa business communities. Retrieved 18 May 2024.
  16. ↑ "TV with Thinus: BREAKING. CNN International's Robyn Curnow, Kim Norgaard leaving South Africa as Robyn Curnow is set to become a CNN anchor in Atlanta". TV with Thinus. 11 August 2014. Retrieved 18 May 2024.
  17. ↑ "Bush on Snowden: He damaged the country". July 2013. Retrieved 25 October 2018– via YouTube.
  18. ↑ "5 Questions for CNN International Anchor Robyn Curnow". TVNewswer. 13 October 2014. Retrieved 25 October 2018.
  19. ↑ Oprah's girls prepare to graduate | CNN. 13 January 2012. Retrieved 18 May 2024– via www.cnn.com.
  20. ↑ The 'People's Priest' turns 80 | CNN. 6 October 2011. Retrieved 18 May 2024– via www.cnn.com.
  21. ↑ Desmond Tutu: Why 'The Arch' continues to inspire | CNN. 16 March 2017. Retrieved 18 May 2024– via www.cnn.com.
  22. ↑ CNN (17 July 2012). President Bill Clinton: Learned about life from Mandela . Retrieved 18 May 2024– via YouTube.{{cite AV media}}: |last= has generic name (help)
  23. ↑ "CNN's Anchors and Reporters in South Africa". CNN . Retrieved 25 October 2018.
  24. ↑ "A year later, recalling the 'Mandela Magic'". CNN. 4 December 2014. Retrieved 25 October 2018.
  25. ↑ Before the killing: the Pistorius I knew | CNN. 8 July 2014. Retrieved 18 May 2024– via edition.cnn.com.
  26. ↑ 5 News (8 August 2014). CNN's Robyn Curnow on the Oscar Pistorius trial . Retrieved 18 May 2024– via YouTube.{{cite AV media}}: CS1 maint: numeric names: authors list (link)
  27. ↑ "CNN SPEAKS TO PISTORIUS' BROTHER AND SISTER". 30 March 2016. Retrieved 25 October 2018– via YouTube.
  28. ↑ "NOMINEES FOR THE 38TH ANNUAL NEWS & DOCUMENTARY EMMY AWARDS ANNOUNCED". emmyonline.com. Retrieved 25 October 2018.
  29. ↑ Cuban woman receives letter from Obama | CNN. 20 March 2016. Retrieved 18 May 2024– via www.cnn.com.
  30. ↑ "President Obama's exciting visit to Cuba". CNN. 22 March 2016. Retrieved 25 October 2018.
  31. ↑ "CNN International wins two Royal Television Society Awards".
  32. ↑ Author says Trump uses authoritarian language | CNN. 17 January 2018. Retrieved 18 May 2024– via www.cnn.com.
  33. ↑ Robyn Curnow (25 March 2021). Biden: first priority is to make sure Americans get vaccinated . Retrieved 18 May 2024– via YouTube.
  34. ↑ Robyn Curnow (31 January 2021). Biden administration faces tough international challenges . Retrieved 18 May 2024– via YouTube.
  35. ↑ "x.com". X (formerly Twitter). Retrieved 18 May 2024.
  36. ↑ "A candidate for governor of Maryland stutters. So does my young daughter". The Washington Post . Retrieved 25 October 2018.
  37. ↑ "Perspective | A candidate for governor of Maryland stutters. So does my young daughter". Washington Post. 9 September 2018. ISSN   0190-8286 . Retrieved 18 May 2024.
  38. ↑ "Robyn Curnow on LinkedIn: #novel #author #caa #knowingwhentoquit #storyteller | 51 comments". www.linkedin.com. Retrieved 18 May 2024.
  39. ↑ Made By Dyslexia (7 October 2019). Robyn Curnow CNN International News Anchor #MadeByDyslexia Interview . Retrieved 18 May 2024– via YouTube.
  40. ↑ Curnow, Robyn (18 May 2024). "Robyn Curnow". Robyn Curnow. Retrieved 18 May 2024.
  41. ↑ Bunch, Riley (15 September 2021). "Split-Second Decisions 7,400 Miles Apart: How CNN Evacuated Dozens From Afghanistan". Georgia Public Broadcasting. Retrieved 18 May 2024.
  42. ↑ "Kim Norgaard - Executive Director, CNNI Newsgathering And Security Operations at CNN". THE ORG. Retrieved 18 May 2024.
  43. ↑ "2020 Winners". duPont-Columbia Awards. Retrieved 18 May 2024.
  44. ↑ "News 2020 Nominees - The Emmys". theemmys.tv. 6 August 2020. Retrieved 18 May 2024.
  45. ↑ "RTS Television Journalism Awards 2019 sponsored by GuestBooker". Royal Television Society. 1 February 2019. Retrieved 18 May 2024.
  46. ↑ "NOMINEES FOR THE 40th ANNUAL NEWS & DOCUMENTARY EMMY® AWARDS ANNOUNCED - The Emmys". theemmys.tv. 25 July 2019. Retrieved 18 May 2024.
  47. ↑ "Robyn Curnow - Awards". IMDb. Retrieved 18 May 2024.
This page is based on this Wikipedia article
Text is available under the CC BY-SA 4.0 license; additional terms may apply.
Images, videos and audio are available under their respective licenses.