Marina and Shirin Wheeler flank Christiane Amanpour

Christiane Amanpour, chief international anchor for CNN, is the 2023 winner of the Charles Wheeler Award, presented by the British Journalism Review for an outstanding contribution to broadcast journalism, in memory of the celebrated BBC reporter and presenter.

Amanpour dashed across London after presenting her evening interview programme to receive the award from Shirin and Marina Wheeler, daughters of the late Charles Wheeler, in front of a packed audience at the University of Westminster.

Amanpour said it was wonderful to be just a stone’s throw from the BBC, where she had started in journalism as an intern. She emphasised the importance of objective journalism and organisations “that you can actually get real news from”.

Shirin Wheeler and Steve Barnett

Shirin Wheeler, who has just published a biography – Charles Wheeler: Witness to the Twentieth Century – talked about her father to Steven Barnett, professor of communications at the University of Westminster and a member of the BJR editorial board. She emphasised his belief in the importance of journalism and its ability to give a voice to people who might not otherwise have one.

Plans to have Amanpour join women foreign correspondents on stage were thwarted when they were despatched to Israel. The distinguished journalists Robin Lustig, Jim Naughtie and Martin Bell stepped in for a discussion on disinformation.