LONDON: The death of traditional news media may have been greatly exaggerated, believes CNN’s newest hire Sam Kiley.
The longtime foreign correspondent, who will transition from his current post as the London-based foreign affairs editor for Sky News to a new job with CNN in Abu Dhabi, said the job of professional journalists has never been more needed.
“People have worked out that in democracies you really do need credible sources of information,” Kiley told Arab News.
After years spent panicking that social media spelled the demise of journalism, the public has once again discovered its appetite for name-brand news on global issues.
Companies such as CNN are doubling down on their international coverage, Kiley said, and are expanding operations to do so.
“A bunch of fat, middle-aged men running these organizations were completely baffled by the notions of citizens’ journalism and social journalism and talked themselves out of their own jobs — almost,” he said.
“Now when democracies are under attack from outside powers … there is huge need and desire for truth tellers,” he said.
Seeking to avoid fake news stories, global audiences are returning to the sources they know and trust.
“In an age of social media there is more importance on and diet for news that has been gathered by professionals who tell the truth and whose job it is to filter out the crap,” said Kiley.
Filtering, highlighting and headlining stories from across the globe is exactly what Kiley will do at his new post as a senior international correspondent for CNN.
Based at the US company’s newly revamped hub in Abu Dhabi, Kiley will lend his expertise gleaned from nearly 30 years as a roving frontline correspondent to CNN’s international news coverage.
“I’m kind of ancient,” Kiley laughed. “I think a lot of my role will be to hop on a plane and reinforce our existing correspondents in Africa, the Middle East, Pakistan, India or wherever.”
Kiley will work with fellow Brit Becky Anderson, the managing editor of CNN Abu Dhabi’s operations and the host of the flagship program “Connect the World.”
Over the past three decades, Kiley has reported extensively from across the Middle East, covering the wars in Afghanistan and Iraq, and served as The Times’ Middle East bureau chief in Jerusalem.
While his focus will not be on the Gulf per se, Kiley said that he looks forward to being based in a region experiencing so much dynamic chance.
“I don’t know where Saudi will be in 2030. I don’t know what the relationship between the Gulf and the Iranians just across the water will be in the next three years. But these are all big, strategic issues that affect the entire planet,” he said.
While he did not reveal details about the length of his contract, Kiley made clear that Abu Dhabi would be his home for the foreseeable future.
“CNN is not investing in this bureau for anything other than long-term, sound strategic news reasons. It’s not a PR stunt,” he said.
Having just touched down in Abu Dhabi where he is laying the groundwork before officially starting with CNN in January 2018, Kiley said he is learning the ropes. “Weirdly I know a great deal more about the UAE’s international role than I do about where to go and buy some jam,” he said.