Robyn Curnow anchored the International Desk with Robyn Curnow and Newsroom with Robyn Curnow on CNN.
She covered CNN International’s daily coverage of the Obama, Trump and Biden presidencies as well as the 2016 and 2020’s Presidential elections for an international audience, charting the growing divisions in America.
She was on air during the US troop withdrawal of Afghanistan and the fall out over the decision. She also anchored CNN’s rolling coverage of the coup in Myanmar, the explosion in Beirut and the wildfires in Sydney and California. She was on air for the fall of Mosul and charted the rise of ISIS.
Curnow anchored live coverage from Havana, Cuba during President Obama’s historic visit to the island. When Fidel Castro died she returned to Havana and reported live on his funeral.
Curnow hosted her shows from CNN studios in Atlanta during the covid pandemic. Curnow broke the news that President Trump had covid on both CNN USA and CNN International.
During her twenty CNN career in the studio and in the field, Curnow interviewed Nelson Mandela, Archbishop Desmond Tutu, President’s Bush, Clinton and Carter as well as First Lady Michelle Obama. She fronted CNN’s exclusive coverage of the Oscar Pistorius trial. She anchored Mohammed Ali’s funeral during a time of national grief.
Her podcast Searching for America launched with a series of influential Americans talking to Robyn about why America is polarized and what can be done to bridge divisions.
World View
Curnow has a unique global perspective. Born in Perth, Australia and raised in South Africa, she has lived and worked in Johannesburg, London, Sydney, and now resides in Atlanta, USA. Her husband, Kim Norgaard, is Danish and runs CNN’s operations in war zones. They have two teenage daughters.
She is an Ambassador for the UK-based charity Made By Dyslexia and on the board of the Schenck School.
In addition to her broadcasting career from CNN, the BBC and the SABC, Robyn has written for the Washington Post, Vogue, Cosmopolitan, Marie Claire, the International Herald Tribune and other publications.
Robyn brings this outsider perspective to her new media venture Searching For America. As a South African based in the American South - raising American children with her Danish husband - Robyn’s broad views are valuable in a time of increased division.
Awards
Royal Television Society award for Breaking News -WINNER
The Fall of Mugabe
DuPont Columbia award 2020- WINNER
The Disappearance of Jamal Khashoggi
Emmy nominee - Outstanding Breaking News Coverage
The Battle for Mosul
Emmy nominee - Outstanding Breaking News Coverage
Yemen School Bus Bombing
Emmy nominee - Outstanding Investigative report Newscast
Fear and Oppression in Xinjiang
Curnow was part of the team that won a DuPont Columbia award in 2020 for CNN’s coverage of the murder of Saudi activist Jamal Khashoggi.
She fronted CNN’s coverage of the fall of President Robert Mugabe, breaking the news that his regime was over. Curnow together with the team on the ground won the Royal Television Society’s award for Best Breaking News Coverage. The judges said,
“A model of how to cover an unpredictable breaking news story – from the heart of the action. It was a journalistic and technical triumph that caught the excitement of the moment but kept a cool head and ensured that tough questions about the future were asked as well”
Robyn first reported from Zimbabwe during the land invasions in 2000. Later she and the CNN team were banned from entering the country. She was detained during a later trip for reporting on the streets of Harare.
Curnow led breaking news coverage of a number of terror attacks including the attacks in Tunisia, Stockholm, Ivory Coast, Egypt, New Zealand and Sri Lanka and the aftermath of the Paris and Nice attacks. Curnow’s shows charted the rise and fall of ISIS over a number of years, including the devastation of the Syrian war, including the Russian targeting of civilians. She was on air for the beginning stages of the fall of Mosul which earned her an Emmy nomination with the teams on the ground.
Curnow also earned an Emmy nomination for CNN’s coverage of the war in Yemen and Saudi Arabian aggression towards civilians. She earned another Emmy nomination for CNN’s team coverage of China’s repressive measures against the Uighers. The rise of Xi Jinping, his grip on power and his threats towards Taiwan and what that means for the Biden administration’s decision making featured regularly on her shows.
Expert Analysis
Curnow charted Russia’s increasing belligerence in recent years, leading up to the war in Ukraine. She hosted many discussions on Putin, NATO, the Skripal poisonings and the Wagner group.
Curnow has also interviewed intelligence operatives and former spies, on air and off-the-record, about the threats facing the globe and has an in-depth understanding of the issues involved in the intelligence worlds.
Curnow always enjoyed anchoring segments about country music, Dolly Parton and the International Space Station - once doing a live interview with the astronauts from the ISS and another time interviewing Buzz Aldrin about his wish to ‘Get the @&*% to Mars.’
Championing dyslexic thinking
Robyn has worked together with Richard Branson, HRH Princess Beatrice, Prince Carl Philip of Sweden, Soho House founder Nick Jones, NFL broadcaster Jordan Shultz, NY Mayor Eric Adams, explorer Bob Ballard, NFL superstar Rashan Gary and many more leaders who have succeeded because of their dyslexia.
Despite struggling at school but then getting a Cambridge University degree, Robyn is determined publicize dyslexic creativity and out-of-the-box thinking which she says has made her a better journalist in complex times
Robyn is on the board of the Schenck School. She is also an Ambassador for the UK charity Made By Dyslexia.
