1. Overview
Clarissa Ward, born January 31, 1980, is a distinguished British-American television journalist widely recognized for her impactful reporting from complex and dangerous conflict zones. As the Chief International Correspondent for CNN, she has dedicated her career to covering major global events, often prioritizing the human cost and humanitarian impact on civilians. Her extensive work spans across numerous major news organizations, including Fox News, ABC News, and CBS News, where she honed her expertise as a foreign and war correspondent. Ward is celebrated for her objective and fearless approach to journalism, shedding light on critical international crises and human rights issues, and providing an empathetic understanding of the challenges faced by populations in conflict areas.
2. Early Life and Education
Clarissa Ward was born in London, England, to a British father and an American mother. She spent her formative years between London and New York City, experiencing diverse cultural influences from a young age. For her early education, Ward attended Godstowe and Wycombe Abbey boarding schools in England, providing her with a strong academic foundation. She furthered her studies at Yale University, graduating in 2002. Later in her career, she was recognized for her contributions to journalism with an honorary doctor of letters degree from Middlebury College.
3. Career
Clarissa Ward's extensive career as a journalist reflects her dedicated progression through major news organizations, beginning with Fox News, then moving to ABC News and CBS News, before becoming a chief international correspondent at CNN. Across these roles, she consistently took on challenging assignments in critical global hotspots.
3.1. Early Career and Fox News
Ward began her journalism career in 2003 as an overnight desk assistant at Fox News. From 2004 to 2005, she advanced to an assignment editor position at Fox News in New York City, where she focused on coordinating international coverage. During this period, she played a key role in reporting on significant global events such as the capture of Saddam Hussein, the devastating 2004 Indian Ocean earthquake and tsunami, and the deaths of prominent figures like Yasir Arafat and Pope John Paul II. In 2006, she transitioned into a field producer role for Fox News, actively covering the 2006 Lebanon War, the kidnapping of Gilad Shalit and the subsequent Israeli military actions in the Gaza Strip during Operation Summer Rains, the trial of Saddam Hussein, and the 2005 Iraqi constitutional referendum.
Prior to October 2007, Ward served as a correspondent for Fox News, based in Beirut. From this strategic location, she reported on crucial events including the execution of Saddam Hussein, the Iraq War troop surge of 2007, the Beirut Arab University riots, and the 2007 Bikfaya bombings. Her work also involved conducting interviews with notable figures such as Gen. David Petraeus, Iraqi Deputy Prime Minister Barham Salih, and Lebanese President Emile Lahoud. She spent considerable time embedded with the U.S. military in Iraq, most notably in Baqubah, gaining firsthand experience of military operations.
3.2. ABC News
From October 2007 to October 2010, Ward served as an ABC News correspondent, based initially in Moscow. During her tenure in Russia, she reported for all ABC News broadcasts and platforms, including World News with Charles Gibson, Nightline, and Good Morning America, as well as ABC News Radio and ABC News Now. Her assignments in Russia included covering the 2008 Russian presidential election. She was also on the ground in Georgia during the Russian intervention into Georgian territory, providing critical insights into the unfolding conflict. Following her time in Moscow, she was transferred to Beijing to assume the role of ABC News Asian Correspondent. From Beijing, she covered the significant 2011 Tōhoku earthquake and tsunami in Japan. Additionally, she reported on the ongoing war in Afghanistan.
3.3. CBS News
Clarissa Ward joined CBS News in October 2011 as the network's foreign news correspondent. In this role, she made significant contributions as a correspondent for 60 Minutes, providing in-depth reports on international affairs. Beginning in January 2014, she also served as a fill-in anchor for CBS This Morning, showcasing her versatility and on-air presence. Her work at CBS further solidified her reputation as a formidable journalist capable of covering a wide range of complex global stories.
3.4. CNN
On September 21, 2015, Clarissa Ward joined CNN, where she has since become a central figure in the network's international news coverage. She remained based in London, reporting across all of CNN's platforms. With over a decade of experience as a war correspondent, Ward's expertise was recognized when she spoke at a United Nations Security Council meeting on August 8, 2016, addressing the dire situation in the civil war-torn city of Aleppo. In July 2018, CNN appointed her as its Chief International Correspondent, succeeding the highly esteemed Christiane Amanpour, a testament to her prominent role in international reporting.
3.4.1. Notable Reporting and Conflict Zone Coverage
Ward has distinguished herself through her tenacious and often perilous reporting from the front lines of global conflicts and major international events. In 2019, she was among the first Western journalists to provide in-depth reports on daily life in areas controlled by the Taliban in Afghanistan, offering rare insights into a secluded region. In August 2020, reports surfaced that she and her team were under surveillance during their assignment in the Central African Republic in May 2019, underscoring the risks associated with her work.
In December 2020, Ward played a pivotal role in a joint investigation with The Insider and Bellingcat, in collaboration with CNN and Der Spiegel. This investigation revealed how members of the Russian Federal Security Service (FSB) had stalked opposition leader Alexei Navalny for years, including immediately prior to his poisoning in August 2020. The report meticulously detailed a special FSB unit specializing in chemical substances, with investigators tracking the unit's members through telecommunications and travel data.
In February 2022, CNN deployed Ward to Kharkiv to cover the initial stages of the 2022 Russian invasion of Ukraine. After the first days of the conflict, she relocated to Kyiv, where she delivered a series of impactful wartime reports on the advance of Russian troops and the heartbreaking flight of Ukrainian refugees fleeing Russian artillery strikes. She was among the journalists who traveled deep into Ukraine to offer insights into the humanitarian situation, focusing on children and wounded civilians in Ukrainian hospitals amidst the ongoing conflict, bringing vital attention to the plight of non-combatants.
In December 2023, Ward covered the Israel-Hamas war, delivering a powerful six-minute video report from Gaza. She depicted the grim conditions in the strip, describing the impact on civilians as the worst she had witnessed in her 20 years as a reporter in the region. Visiting a UAE-operated field hospital, Ward documented overwhelmed medical staff and interviewed an injured young girl, highlighting the immense suffering. While her report received considerable praise for its raw depiction of the conflict's human toll, it also prompted some discussion regarding the need to equally recognize the contributions of Palestinian journalists and aid workers operating under extreme conditions.
3.4.2. Assad Regime Reporting Controversy
In December 2024, during the fall of the Assad regime in Syria, Clarissa Ward became the center of a controversy regarding a report she filed. The report featured an alleged prisoner of the Assad regime, shown being discovered by her crew in a prison, hidden under a blanket. The man was then told he was free to go and depicted walking out gripping Ward's arm. However, observations from the footage noted that the man appeared well-nourished and his cell was notably clean, leading to accusations of staging the report.
CNN initially denied staging the report and defended Ward, stating they were "continuing to investigate" the identity of the alleged Syrian detainee. Subsequently, the Syrian fact-checking group Verify-Sy found that the man had provided a fake identity. CNN later confirmed that the individual featured in the report was indeed an intelligence officer, not an ordinary citizen who had been imprisoned. The man, who initially identified himself as Adel Ghurbal, was later identified as Salama Mohammad Salama, a lieutenant in the Assad regime's Air Force Intelligence Directorate. This development led to further scrutiny of the report and CNN's handling of the situation.
4. Awards and Recognition
Clarissa Ward has received numerous prestigious awards and honors throughout her career, recognizing her outstanding contributions to journalism, particularly her courageous and insightful reporting from conflict zones.
On May 21, 2012, she was awarded a Peabody Award in New York City for her impactful journalistic coverage inside Syria during the Syrian uprising. In October 2014, Washington State University announced that Ward would be the recipient of the 2015 Edward R. Murrow Award for International Reporting, which she received in April 2015, an accolade that underscores her commitment to global journalism. She has also been honored with seven Emmy Awards, further cementing her status as a leading figure in broadcast journalism. Additional recognition includes an Alfred I. duPont-Columbia Silver Baton and honors from the Radio and Television Correspondents' Association.
5. Personal Life
Clarissa Ward is married to Philipp von Bernstorff, a German fund manager. The couple first met at a dinner party in Moscow in 2007 and were married in November 2016 at London's Chelsea Old Town Hall. They have three sons, born in 2018, 2020, and 2023.
Her oldest son has been diagnosed with a rare genetic anomaly. In response to this, Ward co-founded the Foundation for ARID1B Research, an organization dedicated to advancing research into the condition. Beyond her professional life, Ward is also known for her impressive multilingual abilities. She is fluent in English, French, and Italian, and possesses conversational proficiency in Russian, Arabic, and Spanish, along with basic knowledge of Mandarin Chinese. These language skills have been invaluable in her international reporting roles, allowing her to connect directly with sources and communities across the globe.
6. Bibliography
Clarissa Ward is the author of the memoir "On All Fronts: The Education of a Journalist," published in 2020 by Penguin. The book provides an intimate account of her experiences and development as a journalist, detailing her journey reporting from some of the world's most dangerous and challenging environments.
7. External links
Clarissa Ward - [http://www.makers.com/clarissa-ward Clarissa Ward]