Alex MacCallum has been named CNN Worldwide’s Executive Vice President of Digital Products and Services, a new role focused on overseeing and spearheading CNN’s suite of digital products that serve and engage millions of people globally every day. MacCallum is an experienced product, business and media executive who joins from the Washington Post where she served as Chief Revenue Officer overseeing subscriptions, partnerships and advertising. At the Post, MacCallum began the transformation of the Post’s business, from changing the way its advertising team was structured to evolving how cross-functional work happens across the company. She returns to CNN after previously serving as Global Head of Product for CNN Worldwide and General Manager of CNN+ where she managed product, data, design, growth marketing and business operations. At CNN the first time, MacCallum led cross-functional teams to the launch of CNN+, a direct-to-consumer streaming service as well as re-structured the core CNN.com product teams to better serve its users. Before joining CNN, she spent eight years at The New York Times in various roles, including Head of Product for Standalone Products, a NYT portfolio that included Cooking, Games, Wirecutter, Audio and Kids, and as the founding Masthead editor for Audience in the newsroom. She was the founding product leader on NYT Cooking, leading the creation and growth of the product in partnership with editorial. She also spent time in the newsroom overseeing NYT Video, re-focusing the team on user-oriented formats and experiences. MacCallum has deep experience in building products that bring world class journalism and storytelling to life. At the Times, she championed a cross-functional product development process that allowed for rapid iteration, new product creation and innovation in product and in particular, direct to consumer businesses. She began her career in media at the Washington Post and was the first news editor for the Huffington Post. She graduated from Brown University and holds a law degree from U.C. Berkeley. MaCallum’s first day at CNN will be March 4. She will be based out of CNN’s New York bureau. 

CNN will bring full coverage of COP28 across TV and Digital with a range of live programming, reporting and features content, as global leaders and industry representatives gather in Dubai for the critical climate summit. In the run up to the summit, CNN will broadcast a series of TV packages titled Road to COP, spotlighting some of the key topics on the agenda this year and analyzing what is at stake. Then, as COP itself kicks off on 30 November Becky Anderson will anchor CNN International’s flagship Middle East program Connect the World with Becky Anderson, live from the Dubai Expo site.Anderson will be joined on the ground by David McKenzie and Eleni Giokos, providing regular updates throughout and bringing their own experience of reporting on the climate crisis around the world.Christopher Lamb, CNN’s Vatican correspondent, will also join the team this year to cover the historic visit of Pope Francis, the first pontiff to attend a COP meeting. CNN Digital will bring daily stories on the latest developments and feature in-depth content on the key issues on a dedicated page at cnn.com/world/cop28.This year, CNN’s multi-platform coverage is also complemented by several events and activations on the ground at COP. The team behind As Equals – CNN’s cross-platform series dedicated to reporting on gender inequality – is collaborating with CNN Photos to host a photo exhibition and panel discussion on 4 December.  Moderated by Eliza Anayngwe, Editor of As Equals, the panel will explore how the climate crisis is affecting women and girls in the global south. On 30 November, Eleni Giokos will also moderate a discussion at Goals House ahead of a screening of highlights from Blue Carbon, a documentary co-produced by CNN Films about the coastal ecosystems that are crucial to the fight against climate change. Lastly, CNN’s Call to Earth Day, the network’s annual day of action to raise awareness of environmental issues, will take place on 28 November and serve as a perfect segue into CNN’s COP coverage. 

The Dubai Press Club (DPC), in partnership with the Mohammed Bin Rashid University of Medicine and Health Sciences (MBRU), organised a training programme titled ‘Introduction to Health Science for Journalists’ focused on raising the capabilities of media professionals to cover healthcare-related topics. The initiative forms part of DPC’s ‘Advanced Journalism Program’ aimed at enhancing professional benchmarks in Arab media.Representing a synergistic partnership between the media and health sectors, the initiative is part of broader efforts to integrate high-quality specialised health coverage into mainstream media. The new programme was aimed at making journalists aware of the latest healthcare issues and providing them with the tools and frameworks needed to convey information regarding public health crises and pandemics accurately and responsibly.Dr. Maitha Buhumaid, Director of the Dubai Press Club, said: “Amidst the rapid transformations happening in the UAE and across the globe, this initiative was designed to enable journalists to keep pace with the emerging wave of developments in the health sector and beyond. With the rapidly evolving nature of healthcare, there is an urgent need for journalists to stay abreast of changing approaches to public health management and the vast new innovation and research in this vital sector. Guided by the vision of the UAE's leadership, we seek to work closely with various partners to raise the media’s expertise in addressing health challenges. In collaboration with MBRU, we created a set of training modules to raise journalists’ understanding of today’s healthcare landscape. Our goal is not only to enhance the depth of health coverage in the media but also inculcate a proactive mindset amongst media professionals and raise our community’s broader awareness and vigilance to deal with any future pandemics.”The organisation of the ‘Introduction to Health Science for Journalists’ programme is a testament to the close partnership between the media and healthcare sectors in Dubai to enhance coverage of health issues. The various components of the programme were structured to help media report on health issues with precision and insight. The four-day programme held at the Dubai Press Club sought to help journalists understand contemporary medical terms, interpret health data correctly and communicate statistics effectively.Dr. Amer Sharif, CEO of the Dubai Academic Health Corporation and President of the Mohammed Bin Rashid University of Medicine and Health Sciences (MBRU), said: “Our commitment to academic excellence and evidence-based healthcare journalism lies at the core of this programme. By equipping journalists with the essential principles of health sciences, we seek to provide them with the tools to navigate the complexities of this critical and transformative field. We extend our appreciation to all participants who joined us in this programme for recognising that it is our shared responsibility to safeguard the accuracy of healthcare reporting. We would also like to thank the Dubai Press Club for their partnership, invaluable contributions and support for the programme. Together, we can propel healthcare journalism towards a future where it plays a key role in creating a healthier, more informed society.”Through training sessions, immersive workshops and assessments, the programme taught participants to track and analyse health-related data, especially in times of health crises. Another key objective of the programme was to combat the potential ripple effects of misinformation resulting from a fragmented understanding of health issues.Building upon the previous outcomes of the ‘Advanced Journalism Program’ introduced in 2017, the latest specialised training is part of the Dubai Press Club’s commitment to raise professional standards in the media’s coverage of diverse sectors including politics, economics, culture and science. Significant previous initiatives undertaken by DPC as part of the ‘Advanced Journalism Program’ include the ‘Science Journalist Program’, organised in 2017 in collaboration with the Emirates Scientists Council and the ‘Advanced Economic Journalism’ programme held in 2018, with the support of DP World and delivered in collaboration with global media organisations including CNN, CNBC, Reuters, Bloomberg, AFP, Sky News Arabia and Murdoch University.‘Introduction to Health Science for Journalists’ sought to provide journalists with the wider knowledge base needed to enhance their health reportage. Apart from foundational health principles, the session covered specialised topics such as anatomy, epidemiology, healthcare systems, medical research, clinical trials and clinical ethics.As part of efforts to further enrich their knowledge, resources and research capabilities, participants in the training programme were given a one-year membership to the Al Maktoum Medical Library at MBRU. The participants were also presented with certificates that acknowledge the proficiency they gained during the programme.

 CNN will go live from its brand-new state-of-the-art broadcast facility in Abu Dhabi today, marking a new chapter in the network’s commitment to the Middle East.Situated in twofour54’s Yas Creative Hub, the home of media, entertainment and gaming in Abu Dhabi, the new CNN bureau increases the scale and scope of its operation in the UAE. As one of the network’s key international production hubs, alongside Atlanta, New York, London, and Hong Kong, it also marks the latest of several major investments in technology and editorial production for CNN.Mike McCarthy, EVP and General Manager, CNN International, added: “CNN Abu Dhabi is a vital part of our global newsgathering and programming operation. This new investment underscores that importance, and we are excited to share what it will bring to our audiences around the world.”The new multi-million-dollar Abu Dhabi hub incorporates the very latest broadcast technology. Its 80 square metre studio, which will be home to CNN International’s flagship current affairs programme, Connect the World with Becky Anderson, incorporates 10 million pixels of video wall and a suite of fully robotic cameras. The facility also has four dedicated craft edit suites and utilises hybrid digital and IP video/audio workflows to enable the highest quality, fully integrated production.Becky Anderson, Anchor & Managing Editor, CNN Abu Dhabi, said: “This new facility really supercharges our operation in Abu Dhabi. Everything we have built here enhances our ability to tell stories from this region and beyond, from the state-of-the-art studio and production facilities, through to the workspace itself, which is geared towards collaborative, multi-platform content creation. We’re also very happy to be part of the new creative community developing here in the Yas Creative Hub.”Abu Dhabi has been a key hub in CNN’s global operation since 2009, when the network first opened its bureau in the Emirate, at twofour54’s previous campus. It has been the base for Connect the World with Becky Anderson since 2014 and is also home to some of CNN’s best-known feature programming, including Decoded, and Marketplace Middle East, as well as key CNN Digital properties, such as the network’s Meanwhile in the Middle East newsletter.It is also home to CNN Academy Abu Dhabi, which recently welcomed its second cohort of academicians. In 2022, the hub welcomed 88 budding journalists from 12 countries, giving them a grounding in a range of newsgathering techniques and principles, and challenging them to investigate and report on a fictional breaking news story in a realistic, fast-paced setting via a hi-tech newsroom simulation.The new Abu Dhabi bureau is the latest new facility for CNN in recent years. The network began broadcasting from its new studios in New York in 2019, followed closely by its hi-tech facilities in London in 2020, and will soon broadcast from brand new studios in Atlanta.