CBC News today announced the appointment of Susan Ormiston to the newly created role of International Climate Correspondent, building on CBC News’ leadership in climate journalism in Canada and ongoing priority to serve as an essential trusted resource on global climate change for Canadians across the country. Beginning later this fall, Ormiston will tackle high-profile international climate stories, with deployments to breaking news related to the issue around the world.
“This announcement reaffirms our commitment to one of the most pressing stories of our time,” said Brodie Fenlon, Editor in Chief, CBC News. “Susan’s credibility and international stature will put us on the world map with our climate journalism, and bring the story home to Canadians in rich, unexpected ways that they won’t find anywhere else.”
“It is a job that looks to the future,” said Ormiston. “It has tremendous scope intersecting with people, politics, conflicts and solutions. ”
Rounding out a momentous three years as CBC News’ Washington Correspondent, Ormiston will also cover the U.S. midterm elections before returning to Canada next year. She will continue to cover other major breaking news and conflict stories, as she did while in Washington, covering Afghanistan and Ukraine; she returns to Ukraine later this summer.
As a long-time CBC senior correspondent for TV, radio and online, Ormiston has reported from 30 countries and conflict zones including Afghanistan, Egypt, Libya, Russia, Ukraine, Lebanon, Syria, and Israel. She’s covered natural and industrial disasters in Haiti, Bangladesh and the Philippines. She also reported extensively on Nelson Mandela, covering his election as President of South Africa in 1994, and his death nearly 20 years later. As CBC News’ London correspondent, she covered the European debt crisis, a royal wedding and baby, and the revolutions in Libya, Egypt, and Syria. She has also reported on global sporting events including the Olympic Games London 2012, Rio 2016 and PyeongChang 2018, and the 2014 FIFA World Cup in Brazil.
In recognition of her journalistic accomplishments, Ormiston has won three Gemini Awards and a Canadian Screen Award, including Best Reportage for her work in Afghanistan, and Best Digital for a Canadian election special called Ormiston Online. In 2011, she won a Foreign Press Association award in London, and this spring, she was awarded an Honorary Doctorate of Letters from the University of Saskatchewan. She has been guest host for CBC News Network and CBC programs including THE NATIONAL, THE CURRENT, and AS IT HAPPENS. She has also reported for CBC’s THE FIFTH ESTATE and MARKETPLACE.
CBC News’ international climate stories will be branded under the Our Changing Planet banner and be made available on cbcnews.ca, the CBC News app, CBC News Network, THE NATIONAL, CBC Radio One and CBC TV, as well as the new Climate and Environment site, which features all of the climate journalism happening across the organization. Alongside the role of International Climate Correspondent, CBC News will shortly be posting for the new position of Climate Producer, to travel and work with Ormiston.
