Clarissa Ward biography, wedding, baby, awards

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<h2>Early Life and Education</h2>
<p><strong>Clarissa Ward</strong> was born on January 30, 1980, in London, England. She attended Yale University, where she earned a degree in Comparative Literature. Reflecting on her career path in an interview with the Los Angeles Times' High School Insider, she said, “I always loved traveling and storytelling and languages, so journalism seemed like a natural fit for me.”</p>

<h2>Early Career at Fox News</h2>
<p>Ward began her journalism career at Fox News in 2003 as an overnight desk assistant. She quickly rose through the ranks to become an assignment editor, eventually working on Fox’s international desk where she coordinated global stories. During this time, she helped cover major events such as the capture of <a href="https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Saddam_Hussein">Saddam Hussein</a>, the 2004 Indian Ocean tsunami, and the death of <a href="https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Pope_John_Paul_II">Pope John Paul II</a> in 2005.</p>

<p>In 2006, Ward transitioned to a field producer role, covering significant stories such as the trial and execution of <a href="https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Saddam_Hussein">Saddam Hussein</a>, the Iraq War, the Beirut Arab University riots, and the 2007 Bikfaya bombings in Lebanon. She also spent time embedded with the U.S. military in Baqubah, Iraq.</p>

<h2>Time at ABC News</h2>
<p>From October 2007 to October 2010, Ward worked as a correspondent for ABC News. Initially based in New York City and later in Beirut, she was eventually relocated to Moscow, from where she appeared on all major ABC News programs, including “World News with Charles Gibson,” “Nightline,” and “Good Morning America.” Her coverage included the Russian presidential elections and the country's military intervention in Georgia.</p>

<p>Ward was later assigned to Beijing as ABC’s Asia Correspondent. There, she covered the 2011 Great East Japan Earthquake and tsunami and also reported extensively from Afghanistan.</p>
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<h2>Foreign Correspondence at CBS</h2>
<p>In October 2011, Ward joined CBS News as a foreign correspondent. She reported on the Syrian uprising, contributing to <em>60 Minutes</em> with a 2012 segment filmed in Aleppo—one of the earliest televised reports highlighting the rise of Islamic extremism in Syria. She returned to the country in October 2014 to interview two Westerners who had joined jihadist groups, offering insights into radicalization.</p>

<h2>Leadership Role at CNN</h2>
<p>In September 2015, Ward joined CNN and was based in London. She was appointed Chief International Correspondent in July 2018. Speaking about her role, she emphasized the importance of reliable reporting in contemporary journalism: “It’s more important than ever to double down on reporting that informs viewers and allows them to make better decisions about the world around them. It’s a more confusing world these days.” She added, “It doesn’t matter how remote a story is; if it’s big, we will be there and we will go hard on it.”</p>

<h2>Personal Life</h2>
<p>Ward married Philipp von Bernstorff, a German count and businessman, in November 2016. The couple first met at a dinner party in Moscow in 2007. Their wedding was a modest ceremony held at their home in Notting Hill, London, with just 46 guests. She purchased her dress only six days before the event from a department store.</p>

<p>The couple welcomed their son, Ezra Albrecht Nikolas Nour von Bernstorff, on March 2, 2018.</p>

<h2>Awards and Recognitions</h2>
<p>Throughout her career, Ward has received numerous awards in recognition of her reporting. Her early reporting on the Syrian uprising earned her a George Foster Peabody Award in 2012. In 2015, she was honored with the Murrow Award for International Reporting by Washington State University.</p>

<p>In 2016, the International Center for Journalists awarded her the Excellence in International Reporting Award for her outstanding work from Iraq and Syria. Additionally, she has received five Emmy Awards, with one specifically recognizing her 2017 special report “Undercover in Syria.” That same year, she received the David Kaplan Award from the Overseas Press Club for the same report.</p>

<h2>Language Skills and Digital Presence</h2>
<p>Ward’s international reporting has been bolstered by her language skills. She is fluent in French and Italian, conversational in Russian, Arabic, and Spanish, and has basic proficiency in Mandarin.</p>

<p>She remains active on social media, engaging audiences with breaking news and behind-the-scenes insights. She has over 44,000 followers on Twitter (@clarissaward) and shares additional content on Facebook (@ClarissaWardCNN) and Instagram (@clarissawardcnn), where she documents both professional assignments and personal experiences.</p>

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