Stories that matter - foreign correspondent forcing the world to watch

Charles Sturt University’s journalism program has earned a reputation for excellence, with our graduates in hot demand. But when cutting-edge education meets prodigious talent, empathy, and a passion for bringing stories that truly count to light, the possibilities are boundless – and CNN International Correspondent Anna Coren is living proof.

Anna’s path to becoming an awardwinning international journalist and filmmaker began at an early age. Determined to see the world and expose its truths, she set her sights on journalism at Charles Sturt. “The whole experience was transformative; it wasn’t just an academic education but a social education too – an opportunity to discover who we were, who we wanted to be, and what we wanted to do with our lives,” Anna recalls.

Cutting her teeth in regional media with Prime and NBN, Anna earned on-camera roles with Nine Network reporting and presenting the news. Moving to Seven Network in 2003, she presented household names including Today Tonight and Sunrise before she was appointed United States correspondent for Seven News, reporting on seminal events including the Israel-Hezbollah War. Though she returned home in 2007 to host Today Tonight, the experience had opened her eyes to her true calling. When CNN Hong Kong came courting in 2008 seeking an anchor correspondent she jumped at the chance, embracing the steep learning curve of global news. But the road was where her heart lay, and she pursued every opportunity to report in the field. In 2012 she took a one- month stint in Afghanistan that would define her career.

“I fell in love with the country, the people, the story. I met Basir, who became my fixer – my local producer – and a lifelong friend, and this connection impressed on me that this story, these people… it really matters.”

Anna returned to Afghanistan in the ensuing three years, reporting from the frontlines alongside US Special Forces as they came under Taliban fire and on the Pandora’s box that is life in the war-torn nation. She then took a break from high-risk travel, staying in Hong Kong and giving birth to twin boys, now aged seven. But the United States' plan to withdraw troops after two decades compelled her to return and follow the story. What she witnessed there was a country – and in particular, its women and girls – gripped by overwhelming terror, grief, and loss of hope.

“When I returned to cover the US withdrawal, girls were going to school and university. Women were part of civil society and the workforce; they were judges, teachers, police officers, members of Parliament. They had a future. And literally overnight, that world fell apart.”

Anna returned to Afghanistan to work on a documentary to film the start of school under the Taliban. Anna and Basir were filming at a Kabul school on 23 March 2021 when the Taliban –promising this time things would be different – opened schools to girls filled with hope. Ultimately, the palpable sense of excitement and possibility was short-lived.

“Ninety minutes into filming, Basir noticed the deputy principal suddenly go from elation to shock. The Taliban had just advised no more school for secondary girls, effective immediately. And then the devastation, all these girls walking out of school.”

Back in Hong Kong, Anna remained deeply invested in telling stories of life in the aftermath. The knock-on effect of international aid withdrawal was driving Afghans to starvation and desperation; many sold kidneys to feed their families, and there was a significant rise in reports of young girls being sold into marriage.

“In impoverished Badghis Province, we found 9-year-old Parwana Malik who was being sold to a 55-year-old man who already had a wife and family. CNN gained permission to film the handover and the raw footage was heart-wrenching to watch. This little girl, crying and digging her heels into the ground trying to stop this man from taking her away.”

Anna’s story – which went on to win an Emmy Award – went viral, spurring an unprecedented outpouring of offers from viewers wanting to help. Among them was Too Young to Wed, a global charity working to end child marriage; they launched a rescue mission and shepherded Parwana, along with her mother and five siblings, to a safe house and a new life. But while this story ended well, countless more don’t. In her recent film The Noble Guardian, Anna documents the courageous journey of 74-year-old Afghan American activist Mahbouba Seraj who runs the last remaining shelter for abused women in Kabul, staying to fight for them while others fled as the Taliban once again took hold.

“Mahbouba is a force to be reckoned with; she lobbies for these girls and she’s there on the ground protecting them, doing what she can to improve their lives. I remember listening to her and getting goosebumps, knowing I had to tell her story.”

Mahbouba has held talks with the Taliban in Norway and addressed the UN Security Council, earning a joint Nobel Peace Prize nomination (with activist Narges Mohammadi, a leading voice for women’s rights in neighbouring Iran) and a place among Time magazine’s 100 most influential people. The Noble Guardian gives a harrowing glimpse into what it takes to defy an oppressive regime and force the world beyond its borders to sit up and take notice.

One of Australia’s most respected journalists, Anna tells her own story of life on the frontline in a dedicated chapter in the book Through Her Eyes (2022). It’s an inspiring account of the art and power of storytelling to shine a light on injustice and promote empathy, understanding, and action.

“I think journalists have a responsibility to remind the world that we need to care,” she says.

“In a world of social media, misinformation and polarisation, journalists must tell the truth, uncover uncomfortable stories, expose atrocities. You don't have to go to conflict zones and tackle autocratic regimes. By telling a story of ordinary people doing extraordinary things in extraordinary circumstances, you’re doing an incredible service to inform, educate, and hopefully make a difference.”

The Charles Sturt University ethos comes from the Wiradjuri phrase “yindyamarra winhanganha”. This ethos means the wisdom of respectfully knowing how to live well in a world worth living in. We are incredibly proud to share insights into the lives of alumni who are living this ethos - working for change and taking a stand to make the world a better place.