NEW YORK: OPC member Christiane Amanpour, CNN’s chief international correspondent, commented on TV and print news when she was interviewed by Edward Lewine for the February 14 New York Times Magazine. Pet peeve about TV News? “When bosses believe the American people are too stupid or too uninterested to focus on substance and therefore pander to sensationalism.” Pet peeve about print news? “The ink gets on my fingers and all over my clothes.”
16. Toughest Interview: President Omar Hassan al-Bashir of Sudan. It was incredibly difficult to get him to answer any question. I was trying to understand why the Sudanese government felt it necessary to attack Darfur and bomb villages. There was a complete denial of black-and-white facts.
17. Historical Villain She’d Like to Talk to: I’d like to interview Stalin. I’d like to explore with him the process of how you go from being an ordinary person to becoming a mass-murdering megalomaniac.
18. Worst Recent Crime Against Journalism: Over the past several years, murder has been the leading cause of death among journalists around the world. People are literally killing the messenger.