Award-winning journalist Ben Hunte, formerly the BBC’s LGBT correspondent, has joined CNN as an international anchor and correspondent.
As per a press release shared by the broadcaster, Hunte will host CNN Newsroom at weekends for morning audiences in EMEA, afternoon viewers in Asia, and late-night audiences in the U.S. on CNN International.
He will also work across CNN programming as a correspondent, with a particular focus on social justice and LGBTQ+ issues.
Hunte joined the BBC as its first ever dedicated LGBT correspondent in 2019 and later served as its West Africa correspondent, after leaving the BBC Hunte went on to work at Vice News as a global correspondent, reporting across TV and digital from around the world.
Hunte is multi-award winning, having picked up numerous accolades during his career.
Hunte was named One Young World’s ‘Journalist of the Year’ in 2020. He has twice been an Emmy Award finalist and a finalist for both the Royal Television Society’s Young Journalist of the Year, and the British Journalism Society’s ‘Specialist Journalist of the Year’, and took the top spot in the UK’s ‘Pride Power List’ 2020. He was named among Forbes magazine’s 30 Under 30, in 2022.
Meara Erdozain, SVP of programming at CNN International, said: “Ben embodies so much of what we want to do at CNN.
“He’s a dynamic, exciting talent with proven multi-platform skills and a hard-earned reputation for delivering impactful reporting.
“Whether in the field or in the studio, he will bring a new dimension to our content and our journalism.”
Hunte said: “This is an exciting time to be joining CNN, especially at its original home in Atlanta.
“The studios, facilities, technology and talent here are all exceptional, but I’m also looking forward to the stories I’ll be able to tell from here and elsewhere for audiences around the world.”
“I am extremely passionate about LGBTQ issues, and I’m also looking forward to picking those important stories up again with the backing of an organization like CNN,” he added.
Before entering journalism, Hunte worked for Google Ireland as a strategic partner manager, during which time he started his own YouTube channel, a move that inspired him to change careers.
He has undergraduate degree in Cognitive Neuroscience from the University of Nottingham, Malaysia Campus, and studied a Master of Arts in Journalism at City, University of London.
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