New Appointments in Kenya, Nigeria and South Africa underscore network's commitment to the African story CNN is broadening its newsgathering presence in Kenya, Nigeria and South Africa as part of a robust editorial investment in bringing all facets of Africa's story to the network's international audiences. Four new appointments, two based in South Africa, one in Nairobi, Kenya and one in Lagos, Nigeria, will strengthen CNN's on-the-ground presence as part of an aggressive drive to provide ongoing reportage of the continent at a time when demand and interest from international audiences continues to grow. The appointments between them represent expertise honed at prestigious organizations such as South Africa's e.tv and SABC; the BBC; UNICEF, and CNN itself. Robyn Curnow, Nkepile Mabuse, David McKenzie and Christian Purefoy will join incumbent CNN Johannesburg BC Kim Norgaard to provide viewers with regular and comprehensive reporting from the region, and will complement CNN's existing roster of talent regularly covering Africa including Zain Verjee, Femi Oke and Isha Sesay. "This expansion underscores the importance of Africa to our viewers," said Parisa Khosravi, senior vice president of international newsgathering for CNN Worldwide. "These new resources enable us to produce more content for all of CNN's services, increasing the coverage of social, cultural, political and business news from a mix of countries and datelines. We want to ensure that our viewers have the most comprehensive, vibrant reporting on this most diverse and fascinating of continents." The new appointments come as CNN's commitment to Africa both on and off air has never been greater. Alongside ongoing reporting on the breaking news out of the region, CNN is dedicated to showing Africa in all her dimensions: with the flagship ‘Inside Africa' show in its ninth year; African business headlines a popular new segment, and CNN's feature and documentary output regularly showcasing social, business and cultural reports from the continent, the mix is a rich one. Off air, the CNN Multichoice African Journalist Awards enters its 13th year and the 2008 event will take place in Accra, Ghana. "CNN is proud of its international credentials and is currently undergoing its biggest newsgathering expansion in its 28-year history," added Khosravi. "The expansion is fundamental to our vision of the future, and this investment in our Africa operation shows the important role that this region plays in that vision." About the Correspondents Robyn Curnow, also based in Johannesburg, was previously a freelancer at CNN's London bureau, reporting on stories such as the death of Pope John Paul II and the Asian tsunami, and with previous stints at the BBC as well as at the SABC where she started her career, reporting there on stories including Nelson Mandela's Presidency, the Mozambique floods and the land invasions in Zimbabwe. Nkepile Mabuse joins CNN's Johannesburg hub from E.TV, South Africa's leading independent television station, where she was most recently exec producer of its 3rd Degree documentary programme. Previously a category winner of the CNN MultiChoice African Journalism Awards, award-winning Mabuse has covered a wide range of domestic and international stories during her career including the London bombing in 2005 and the Zimbabwean elections. David McKenzie, who is based in Nairobi, has reported from over 30 countries in Africa during his career with the Africa Services Unit of UNICEF, covering stories such as the crisis in Somalia, instability in the Democratic Republic of the Congo and the humanitarian crisis in Darfur. Prior to moving into field work, he was based in New York as a freelance producer and writer for broadcasters including ABC News, BBC and Reuters. He has already made his debut on air with reports for CNN on the recent elections in Kenya and the early days of the subsequent unrest. Christian Purefoy is an integral part of CNN's Lagos presence, alongside additional services provided by Vivid Features. Purefoy is not new to the CNN family having worked on various projects including CNN International's "Inside Africa" programme over the past few years. - End - |
