Foreign Correspondence

The cable news channels have seemingly been all politics all the time over the last few days, but it is hardly the only big news happening at the moment. In the Middle East, there is an event that will have a more significant long-term impact than intra-party political sniping: the protests in Syria, and President Assad’s announcement that he will not step down. In addition, a French TV journalist for France 2 TV was killed in a mortar strike in the country.

CNN’s Nic Robertson is in the country on a visa (previously reporters have had to sneak in), and has been giving updates from the divided nation:

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A year ago today we wrote about one of those annual “predictions” stories. It was from Mashable’s Vadim Lavrusik who had a host of predictions for the news media in 2011. This was No. 6:

6. The Death of the ‘Foreign Correspondent’

Lavrusik, who is also an adjunct professor at Columbia University’s journalism school, argued that news organizations would rely “heavily on stringers and, in many cases, social content uploaded by the citizenry.”

How right he was… and wasn’t.

While much of the video from the Arab Spring and Japanese earthquake & tsunami — two of the biggest stories on the planet this year — was user generated: captured on smartphones, uploaded to video sites and shared around the world on social networks, it took the network correspondents to put into perspective what we were seeing, to interview some of those captured on video (or who captured the video), and put into greater context what it all means. That’s really their job. So that at the end of a 1-minute 45-second package or 2-minute live shot, we all have a better understanding of the story.

This year, the networks did not rely “heavily on stringers,” the news was simply too broad and complex and the competition too great. No network wants to be left out.

So they dug deep into their pockets and sent in correspondents and anchors to report what was happening. Brian Williams, Diane Sawyer, Anderson Cooper, Scott Pelley, even Barbara Walters have all traveled the globe this year for their networks. ABC’s Christiane Amanpour racked up more stamps on her passport and NBC’s Richard Engel and CBS’s Lara Logan — who

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CNN correspondents (l-r) Sara Sidner, Ben Wedeman, Kyung Lah, Nic Robertson, Arwa Damon, Anderson Cooper, Matthew Chance, Hala Gorani, and Ivan Watson gathered at the Time Warner Center Dec. 2 for a taping of “CNN on the Frontlines”

Earlier this month, just for a matter of hours really, CNN’s intrepid foreign correspondents left their beats covering the Middle East, North Africa and beyond, gathering at the Time Warner Center in New York. TVNewser was there as the correspondents recounted the year that was: from the Arab Spring, to the civil war in Libya and the earthquake, tsunami and nuclear catastrophe in Japan.

Naturally, the cameras were rolling and tonight Anderson Cooper hosts a one hour special called “CNN on the Frontlines.” The broadcast airs at 8pmET and 10pmET/PT and will reair tomorrow at 8pmET and Christmas Day at 7pmET and 11pmET.

> Related: Sara Sidner talks with TVGuide Magazine’s Stephen Battaglio about her move from local TV news to foreign correspondent: “I’m a different person. The way I react to stories has changed. The level of what is an amazing moment or what is stressful has gone beyond anything I can ever imagine.”

(Photo: David Holloway / CNN)

Actor Christian Bale is in China to promote a new movie he is in, and while there decided he wanted to approach human-rights activist Chen Guangcheng, who is under house arrest by Chinese authorities.

Bale contacted CNN and asked them to join him as he sought out Guanchcheng. A CNN spokesperson explains: “Chen Guangcheng is a newsworthy figure, particularly so within the last week, and as such it is in the interest of CNN’s global viewers to hear from him. Mr. Bale reached out to CNN and invited us to join him on his journey to visit Chen. This was our second effort to speak to Chen this year and we hope we will be able to do so in the future.”

Bale and the CNN International crew, including CNN’s Steven Jiang, were roughed up by security guards, and were followed by them for more than half an hour in a van:

Bale appeared on CNN International to discuss what happened:
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CNN’s Anderson Cooper hosts a year end special with CNN’s foreign correspondents, including (l-r) Ben Wedeman, Arwa Damon and Nic Robertson

It’s a good thing today was a relatively quite international news day because most of CNN’s foreign correspondents were gathered in New York talking about about the incredible year that was. From the Arab Spring to the triple tragedy in Japan, reporters Nic Robertson, Ben Wedeman, Arwa Damon, Hala Gorani, Matthew Chance, Sara Sidner, Kyung Lah and Ivan Watson crowded into Piers Morgan‘s studio at Time Warner Center where Anderson Cooper, who’s also reported from many of the world’s hotspots this year, lead the discussion.

CNN International EVP Tony Maddox tells TVNewser the get-together, which happens once every few years, “was the greatest gathering of foreign journalists on the planet.”

Before the taping we asked Robertson what is his most remarkable moment of this remarkable year. Robertson, who started as an engineer with CNN in 1990, says it was the uprising in Bahrain in February. “We were approaching Pearl Square and all hell was breaking loose.” Robertson used his iPhone to report live on CNN. Later, as he was rushed out of the area, he used the phone to record more video and his audio for a package that was edited in Atlanta. “That’s a far cry from 36 boxes of equipment we used to use,” added CNN EVP Ken Jautz

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In February, Fox News correspondent Greg Palkot and his cameraman Olaf Wiig were hospitalized after being beaten while covering the protests in Cairo’s Tahrir Square.

Today, Palkot was once again in Egypt to cover the elections there, and he caught up with an Egyptian man who risked his own life to shelter the pair and keep them away from the thugs:

NBC “Today” anchor Ann Curry is currently in Iraq, where she will interview Vice President Joe Biden. The Biden interview will air on “Today” this Thursday. In addition Curry will report for “Today” and “NBC Nightly News” from Iraq tomorrow. Curry also called into MSNBC’s “Andrea Mitchell Reports” this afternoon:

ABC will break into regular programming just after 11 AM to carry President Obama’s remarks on the death of Al Qaeda leader Anwar al-Awlaki. Diane Sawyer will anchor from New York. NBC News will not be breaking in to regular programming, though its cable channel MSNBC will be carrying it live. CBS will also decline to carry the comments.

ABC News was also the only network to air a special report on his death at 5:18 AM, with George Stephanopoulos anchoring. While NBC and CBS did not offer special reports, many had local news programs on at the hour on the east coast, which carried the news.

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10 years after the U.S. first launched an attack on the country to overthrow the Taliban and weed out extremists, Afghanistan is still a major story. On Monday October 3 and Tuesday October 4, “CBS Evening News” anchor Scott Pelley will be broadcasting from the country.

Pelley and the newscast will originate from the Forward Operating Base of the 10th Mountain Division in Kandahar, Afghanistan, where will report on the war’s impact 10 years in. It will be the anchor’s first trip to the country since taking over the evening newscast in June.

NBC “Today” co-anchor Ann Curry presented an interesting and unusual report this morning. Curry traveled to Iran, where she was embedded with that country’s President, Mahmoud Ahmadinejad and spent a “day in the life” with him:

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