The Christiane Amanpour Interview

Christiane Amanpour (0:00)

Again, I don't think I'm political, but I have a deep respect for human rights.

Sam Fragoso (0:05)

What do you mean you're not political?

Christiane Amanpour (0:06)

Because if it's being political, holding up democracy, then I'm political. If it's political, advocating for the truth and honesty, then I'm political. If it's political, believing in human rights, I'm political.

Sam Fragoso (0:20)

Okay, I think you're political.

Christiane Amanpour (0:21)

Okay.

Sam Fragoso (0:28)

Welcome to the show.

Today, legendary journalist, Christiane Amanpour. Her illustrious career spans more than four decades, joining CNN in 1983, just years after she left Iran for the US amid the revolution. She quickly rose the ranks at the then fledgling network out of Atlanta, eventually becoming CNN's leading international correspondent and later chief international anchor, reporting from war-torn conflicts in Bosnia, Rwanda, Somalia, Afghanistan, Ukraine and Gaza, resulting in a reputation immortalized in a New York Times magazine profile with the headline, Where There's War, There's Amanpour. But despite Amanpour's celebrated career, 16 Emmys, 4 Peabodies, enough honorary degrees to fill a corner office, she rarely agrees to long-form interviews. And so this past week, I flew out to New York City ahead of the high-level meetings at this year's UN General Assembly to talk to Amanpour about the recent attacks President Trump has made against the press, including MSNOW, CNN and Politico, all of which the president temporarily banned from the White House for intentionally publishing quote, negative news. In turn, the four mentioned outlets filed a joint lawsuit to which a US district judge issued a temporary restraining order, blocking the ban for 14 days and prompting the White House to reinstate press access. But that's just the beginning of today's episode. In act two and three, we tell some of Christiane's story. Fleeing Iran during the Islamic Revolution, making a name for herself as a young, fearless reporter in a male-dominated field, her contentious exchange with President Bill Clinton, her seminal coverage from the front lines in Bosnia, how she sees the role and function of journalism, the emotional toll of the job, the internal pressures inside CNN, the critique she's faced along the way, and why she believes asking questions guided by facts and not feelings, holding those in power to account and bearing witness is still worth doing after 40 years of work. That's coming up next with Christiane Amanpour.

Christiane Amanpour, thank you for being here.

Christiane Amanpour (2:53)

You're welcome, Sam. You got my name right.

Sam Fragoso (2:55)

You know, I worked hard to get it right. Hopefully, I get a few other things right today.

Christiane Amanpour (2:59)

Let's hope.

Sam Fragoso (3:00)

This past week, President Trump announced that he was banning MSNOW.

Christiane Amanpour (3:05)

Let's get right to it.

Sam Fragoso (3:06)

Politico, and of course, your company, CNN, from the White House as a result of what he calls their constant reporting of fake news, fiction, and lies. When pressed about the decision, this is what the president had to say. Do you want to take a look?

Christiane Amanpour (3:23)

Yes, please.

SPEAKER_3 (3:24)

It's sick. I mean, there's something wrong with a country that can allow people to write purposely negative stories. Now, if they want to write them, that's fine. But I don't have to let them into the people's house.

Christiane Amanpour (3:39)

So I'm happy that he very quickly recognized that the White House is the people's house and not his house. And I just think that, as you've heard from many of our organizations who've just been banned, they continue to report and they are going to take matters into their own hands depending on how it goes, right? They're going to see how this is going to fall out.

I bought my little iPad here, and it's great that you asked me that question because I have also, I'm an activist for the press. I'm on many, many boards. I believe in being an activist for the truth and for the press. So I've quoted Thomas Jefferson and many others about the First Amendment and the role of the press. So Thomas Jefferson, I'm going to paraphrase, when doing the amendments and putting the Constitution together and giving the United States this special gift that none of us have. I mean, we, the Brits, are older than you guys. We don't even have a First Amendment, right? But here, we are protected. I'm not even me, but the press is. Jefferson said, if it comes to, would I prefer government without the press or the press without the government, I would choose the latter, i.e. so fundamental is the press, the free and independent press to the actual governance of healthy and thriving democracy, that it is imperative that we protect, and the government and everybody else gets serious about the First Amendment and keeps protecting this right that only America affords. So some people think what the president does, I'm not going to use that legal term, but it's somewhere on the outskirts of what is allowed under the Constitution.