Soledad O'Brien Reporting...

CNN anchor’s faith and family keep her going

By Elisabeth Román

Soledad O’Brien has covered some of the worst tragedies in recent history, experiences that have had a profound impact on her life, family, spirituality, and work. Born Maria de la Soledad O’Brien, the CNN anchor is a true embodiment of cultural diversity; her mother is Cuban and her father Australian. She is also one of the top journalists in the country.

Proud of her Latino heritage, O’Brien has trouble dealing with the fact that Hispanics are too often referred to as a single group, ignoring that they come from over 20 countries, and have different experiences and cultures.

“It is among the greatest challenges I see in my work as a Hispanic
journalist. During the media coverage of the 2008 election, you hear people refer to Hispanics as if they were one big block, so getting them to understand where we come from is still a big challenge,” she says.

O’Brien joined CNN in July 2003 as the co-anchor of the network’s morning show, American Morning, and distinguished herself by reporting from the scene of major stories that broke on her watch. From Hurricane Katrina and the tsunami in Southeast Asia, to the school shootings in Columbine, the plane crash that killed John F. Kennedy Jr., the Columbia Space Shuttle disaster,and terrorism attacks, O’Brien has reported on some of the biggest stories in recent history.

She was the only broadcast journalist permitted to travel with First Lady Laura Bush on her trip to Moscow in 2003. O’Brien also traveled to Cuba to cover Pope John Paul II’s historic visit and served as CNN’s point person for President George W. Bush’s visit to Mexico, delivering a series of eye-opening reports on conditions south of the border fueling illegal immigration.

“Immigration is very much a misunderstood issue. So I went to the border to see what drives people from their lands, from their homes. I wanted to go beyond shouts and protests to prepare an insightful and thoughtful piece,” explains the mother of four.

Seeing so much human suffering has at times been trying on O’Brien’s faith. “Faith plays a big role in what I do, even more since I had children. But you question yourself about God when you see children who died in a tsunami or the disaster brought on by Hurricane Katrina. How could God let this happen? Then again, it also reinforces my job, which is to cover the story.”

O’Brien’s family and witnessing firsthand the good in people help provide a renewed sense of faith. “I go home to my children, and it’s nice to just hug them. I remember returning from covering the tsunami and seeing my children and the daily chaos at home, it was nice just to come home. I have covered a lot of tragedies, but even amidst so much bad you see so much good. Even in Katrina you would see people giving rides to strangers, and it just proves that despite everything people are inherently good.”

O’Brien not only inspires others with her work, she has earned numerous awards, including an
Emmy. In 2008 she received the first annual “Soledad O’Brien Freedom’s Voice Award,” created in her honor by Community Voices at the Morehouse School of Medicine.

The award, honoring mid-career professionals who serve as catalysts for social change within their fields, was given to O’Brien for her accomplishments and her willingness to be a voice for those in society who are unable to speak for themselves.

A graduate of Harvard University, O’Brien was inspired as a young girl by one of the few Latina reporters in New York at the time. “When she said, ‘This is Gloria Rojas reporting…’ with her Spanish accent, I just loved it.”

Your turn

Do you ever feel your faith tested by the events around you? In which ways do you think you can become a professional for the service of others and to become the voice of the voiceless? Would you do it for money, fame or because you really want to serve?