CNN is seeing one of its international correspondents exit the network as Arwa Damon leaves after 18 years. Damon shared her goodbye email to her fellow CNN coworkers in an Instagram post and reflected on her start with the company.
Damon detailed her CNN origin story where she departed a Turkish textile company and went to Baghdad, Iraq, where she met Kevin Flowers, CNN’s Baghdad bureau chief, asking him to give her an opportunity.
“It’s been just over 18 years. When I left my job at a Turkish textile company (read: selling bathrobes and towels) not just to pursue journalism but actually get myself to Baghdad, people said I was crazy & would never make it,” Damon wrote.
“My trajectory to where I am has not been smooth. I did not get here alone. I will always be eternally grateful to Tony Maddox and CNN for taking a chance on me way back in the day & for all the opportunities over the years.”
She is the third critical international on-air personality to depart from CNN within the past two months, joining Robyn Curnow and Hala Gorani. Damon didn’t share what would be next for her career.
Eduardo Razo is the Assistant Content Editor for BNM, which includes writing daily news stories on the news media industry. He can be found on Twitter @eddierazo_ or you can reach him by email at eddie1991razo@gmail.com.
