The “Star” Correspondent and Parachute Diplomacy: CNN’s Clarissa Ward in Myanmar and Afghanistan

Abstract

This study examines the framing and positioning patterns in CNN Chief International Correspondent Clarissa Ward’s on-the-ground coverage of two conflicts in 2021: the February 1st coup in Myanmar and the Taliban takeover of Afghanistan in August. Analyzing this coverage and debates surrounding these contested trips published in commentaries, editorials, and on social media, we find that the political economy and practices of international news reporting resulted in episodically framed stories primarily revolving around Ward as CNN’s star correspondent. Ward’s parachute journalism underplays the role of Myanmar and Afghan agency by sidelining local journalists and framing local people as victims, while also sidestepping significant structural issues. By capitulating to requirements for access, CNN and Ward implicitly reinforce the legitimacy of both the Myanmar military and the Taliban. Although Ward boldly confronts their spokesmen, the overall framing and positioning implicitly reinforce global (media) imperialist narratives and CNN’s branding by centering CNN and Ward’s professionalism and role as informal diplomat, sidelining local agency, and diverting focus from the broader historical, political, economic, and foreign policy issues at play.