ISLAMABAD: Former CNN reporter and British-Pakistani journalist Saima Mohsin announced on Monday she is suing the multinational news channel for “unfair dismissal and racial discrimination,” alleging that the network failed to support her after a life-changing injury.
Mohsin was injured during a reporting assignment in Jerusalem in 2014, when her cameraman accidentally ran over her foot in a car. According to her Linkedin profile, Mohsin was “bed ridden” following the injury and as per a report by The Guardian which she shared on social media, the journalist said she was unable to sit, stand, walk or return to work full-time after the accident.
As per The Guardian’s report, Mohsin says she requested alternative duties and support for rehabilitation but CNN refused. The journalist alleges she asked CNN if she could switch to a presenting role to reduce the amount of time spent traveling but was told “you don’t have the look we are looking for”. Three years after the accident, she says the network terminated her contract.
Now, Mohsin says she has decided to bring the employment tribunal claim, due to be heard today (Monday) in London.
“We risk our lives in the field trusting we’ll be taken care of,” Mohsin, who now works for Sky News, wrote on Twitter. “I’m suing for unfair dismissal, disability & race discrimination. CNN wants my case thrown out.”
Mohsin also alleged she was denied high profile on-air opportunities at CNN, with managers choosing to put white American correspondents on air even when she was ready to go live on the ground, the Guardian’s report said.
CNN declined to comment on the allegations, the report said, adding that the network disputed her claim on territorial grounds by claiming that she does not have the right to sue in London.
Arab News reached out to Mohsin for a comment but she declined.
A TV and radio presenter, Mohsin has worked as a correspondent for networks in the UK, US, and Asia which include the BBC, CNN, and PBS. She’s conducted interviews of high-profile celebrities including Hillary Clinton, Hollywood actor Tom Cruise, former Pakistani prime minister Benazir Bhutto, Tony Blair and Bollywood icon Amitabh Bachchan.
