Without a Home: The Life of a Traveling Correspondent

Without a Home: The Life of a Traveling Correspondent

Aneesh Raman

about the speech about the speaker
7.4.2007

Aneesh Raman

Aneesh Raman, who was CNN’s Middle East correspondent, was the first Western journalist to announce the execution of Saddam Hussein in December 2006. Raman formerly reported from Baghdad where he covered the on-going conflict in the region as well as the trial, verdict and sentencing of Saddam. Before moving to Baghdad, Raman spent a year at the network’s Bangkok bureau where in December 2004 he was one of the first journalists in the world to broadcast live from Phuket, Thailand, within hours of the Asian tsunami. He is currently a speechwriter for Treasury Secretary Timothy Geithner.

In a public address at the Clinton School, CNN Middle East correspondent Aneesh Raman discusses his experiences covering major world events including the execution of Saddam Hussein, the War in Iraq and the Asian Tsunami. Raman discusses the changing face of American television journalism, especially the ratings and revenue driven culture of cable news. Raman tells of being in Bangkok, Thailand, when the Asian Tsunami struck and becoming the first international correspondent live from Phuket, Thailand. In recalling his experiences as a traveling correspondent, Raman discusses the rapid advances in television journalism technology that allow for easier travel and abilities to report live in remote locations with ease. Raman also addresses the growing concept of “instant news,” and the intense competition among new networks to be the first to report a breaking news story. Technological advances and the Internet continue to change the way news is reported, Raman says, so much so that citizens are capturing stories via blogs, social networking Web sites and even cell phones.