Errol Barnett (born 3 April 1983) is a broadcaster on American television.[1] The Emmy-award winner is a British-born American anchor and national correspondent for CBS News based in New York City. He anchors the CBS Morning News solo.[2] Previously he covered the Trump administration in Washington D.C., anchored CNN Newsroom and hosted the cultural affairs program Inside Africa. Barnett is regularly invited to discuss his reporting on global issues and solutions at major forums for organizations like the UN, the Milken Institute and the Smithsonian.
Errol Barnett | |
|---|---|
 Errol Barnett in May 2024 covering the criminal trial of Donald Trump outside the courthouse for CBS. | |
| Born | 3 April 1983 Milton Keynes, England |
| Nationality | British, American |
| Education | B.A., UCLA, 2008 |
| Occupation(s) | Anchor, correspondent |
| Years active | 2001–present |
| Employer | |
| Spouse |
Ariana Tolbert (m. 2019) |
| Website | www |
Early life
editErrol Barnett was born in Milton Keynes, England to Michael Christie and Pamela, an English woman from Liverpool. Gladstone Christie, his Jamaican grandfather, was one of 500 Caribbean aircrew serving with the British Royal Air Force during WWII, afterward relocating to England as part of the Windrush generation.[3] Barnett has English, German and Jamaican heritage.[4] He has one older brother, Danny, and older sister, Natalie, who died.[4]
His mother later married Gary Barnett, a US Air Force sergeant who served in the Gulf War before moving the family to Phoenix. After spending the first decade of his life in England, Barnett attended Garden Lakes Elementary and Westview High School, in Avondale, Arizona, before Channel One News hired him in 2001 relocating to Los Angeles.[5]
Channel One and UCLA
editThe youth oriented Channel One hired Barnett, their youngest anchor/reporter at age 18, to work alongside Maria Menounos, Seth Doane, Gotham Chopra among others. While also in college, Barnett covered Barack Obama's breakout DNC keynote speech, reported from the United Nations when Colin Powell presented flawed WMD intelligence and from the US Capitol during passage of the Homeland Security Act.
Barnett was chosen as one of Teen People magazine's "20 Teens Who Will Change The World".[6] After being accepted to UCLA he left Channel One to complete his undergraduate studies.[7] At UCLA Barnett received a Bachelor of Arts degree in political science with a focus on international relations.[8] After graduation he was hired by CNN.
CNN (2008 - 2016)
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CNN initially assigned Barnett to report on the rise in influence of social media and in 2008 he was part of the most viewed streaming event in history during President Obama's Inauguration on CNN.com. In 2010, he anchored at noon ET on CNN International from CNN Abu Dhabi focusing on the Arab Spring, which was part of the network's Peabody-award winning coverage. As a CNN foreign correspondent, he was based in Johannesburg, South Africa covering the death of Nelson Mandela the Oscar Pistorius murder trial and various miner strikes.
Inside Africa
editBarnett also hosted the network's longest running feature program Inside Africa from 2011 to 2014. During his time at the helm of the award-winning show Barnett reported from twenty-two countries including Senegal, Morocco, Ethiopia, and Madagascar.[9] The weekly half-hour documentary earned awards for its depiction of the continent,[10] with Barnett styling the program as a "journey of discovery."
CNN Newsroom
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While based in Atlanta, Georgia Barnett anchored CNN Newsroom leading coverage of the Ferguson, Missouri protests, death of Robin Williams and the lead up to the 2016 presidential election. He became an Internet meme during coverage of protests with viewers noting Barnett's response to his co-anchor's suggestion that police use water cannons on demonstrators. Buzzfeed described Barnett's "side-eye" expression as "did that just happen" and "is this real life?"[11]
CBS News (2016 - present)
editCBS News hired Barnett during the 2016 election as a Washington, D.C.–based correspondent and anchor appearing on CBS This Morning, the CBS Evening News and Face the Nation. Currently, he is based in New York City as a national correspondent and solo anchor of CBS Morning News airing daily on the channel's national streaming network.[12] His coverage includes the Presidencies of Donald Trump and Joe Biden, artificial intelligence, extreme weather and various breaking news events. He also conducts high-interest interviews; his chat with Wikipedia's top editor was viewed more than two million times.[13]
Secret Service incident
editIn 2018, the Secret Service issued a rare statement[14] after a viral interaction with Barnett, following the murder of journalist Jamal Khashoggi. As Barnett asked then-Presidential advisor Jared Kushner about his relationship with the Saudi Crown Prince, Mohammad Bin Salman, a Secret Service agent "physically prevented" him. As the Washington Post reported, "Barnett can be seen attempting to ask Kushner a question as he makes his way off the plane, before a Secret Service agent appears to block his way. Barnett can then be seen showing his CBS and White House press credentials to one of the agents, who responds, 'I don’t give a damn who you are, there’s a time and a place.'"
In response to the backlash, the USSS said, "the actions were taken solely in response to an abrupt movement by an unknown individual who later identified themselves as a member of the media." On CNN's The Lead with Jake Tapper, Barnett responded "the video speaks for itself".[14][15][16]
Joe Biden interview
editDuring the 2020 U.S. Presidential election then-Vice President Joe Biden called Barnett a "junkie" in response to his question about cognitive abilities.[17] As part of a joint virtual convention between NABJ and NAHJ, Barnett asked Biden if he had taken a cognitive test, as his opponent, President Donald Trump, insisted.[18]
Biden replied, "No, I haven’t taken a test. Why the hell would I take a test? Come on, man. That’s like saying to you, before you got on this program if you had taken a test, were you taking cocaine or not? What do you think, huh? Are you a junkie?" Barnett pressed again to which Biden responded, "Well, if he can’t figure out the difference between an elephant and a lion, I don’t know what the hell he’s talking about."[19] The exchange was widely cited in the national press.[20]
CBS Morning News
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In 2024 Barnett was named solo anchor of the CBS Morning News, airing weekdays at 7a ET on the CBS streaming platform ahead of CBS Mornings.[21] Forbes wrote this places "Barnett in a class of anchors that include his colleagues Nate Burleson and Vladimir Duthiers, along with Craig Melvin, Al Roker, Bryant Gumbel, and Michael Strahan."[22] Variety called him a "veteran of CBS and CNN... who also worked as a fill-in on “CBS Mornings,” “CBS Saturday Morning” and the “CBS Weekend News,” and he has examined issues pertaining to technology, including documentary features examining cryptocurrency mining and the growth of e-sports."[23]
Speaker and Moderator
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Barnett regularly moderates discussions and speaks at conferences on the topics of freedom of the press, U.S. politics and various international issues. Events have included:
- UN Habitat – World Urban Forum, Cairo, Egypt (2024)[24]
- ICON Mann Honors – Oscars week Gala, Los Angeles (2023)[25]
- NABJ/NAHJ – Salute to Excellence Awards Gala, Las Vegas, NV (2022)[26]
- Smithsonian – Exclusive Preview, 1,000 Years Of Slavery, Martha's Vineyard (2021)[27]
- FOCOS – Annual Gala, New York (2018)[28]
- Society of Professional Journalists – Annual Awards Dinner, Washington, D.C. (2018)
- Milken Institute – Global Conference, Los Angeles (2017)
- NABJ/NAHJ – Conference, Washington, D.C. (2016)[29]
- International Press Institute – Conference, Johannesburg, South Africa (2014);[30]
- World Bank – Conference, Johannesburg, South Africa (2012);[31]
- International Press Institute Conference, Vienna, Austria (2010).[32]
References
edit- ^ "CAA biography of Errol Barnett". CAA Speakers. CAA. Retrieved 1 March 2023.
- ^ "Errol Barnett with his Emmy Award". Errol Barnett on Instagram. Retrieved 7 April 2023.
- ^ "CBS News' Errol Barnett Marries Ariana Tolbert – See Photos from Their Stunning Jamaica Nuptials". People.
- ^ a b "Errol Barnett – My Story". Errol Barnett.
- ^ Teen Web Online article Archived 1 January 2007 at the Wayback Machine
- ^ "NPR story". Archived from the original on 13 March 2008.
- ^ errolbarnett (26 May 2007). "Errol Barnett's last day with Channel One News". Archived from the original on 12 December 2021. Retrieved 24 October 2018 – via YouTube.
- ^ "Get Reelz". dailybruin.com. Retrieved 24 October 2018.
- ^ "Inside Africa". CNN. Retrieved 24 October 2018.
- ^ "2013 Salute to Excellence Winners". National Association of Black Journalists.
- ^ "CNN Anchor Suggests Using Water Cannons on Ferguson Protestors". BuzzFeed. Retrieved 24 October 2018.
- ^ "New roles for Barnett and Luciano at CBS News". AdWeek. Retrieved 29 August 2022.
- ^ "Meet the man behind a third of what's on Wikipedia - YouTube". Archived from the original on 12 December 2021 – via YouTube.
- ^ a b Linton, Caroline (17 October 2018). "Secret Service responds to CBS News correspondent being prevented from questioning Jared Kushner". CBS News.
- ^ Sonmez, Felicia (17 October 2018). "Secret Service investigating incident in which agent blocked reporter from questioning Jared Kushner". The Washington Post.
- ^ Darcy, Oliver. "Secret Service reviewing incident of agent blocking reporter from questioning Kushner". CNN.
- ^ "Politico article on Biden calling Barnett a "junkie". Politico. Politco. Retrieved 9 October 2020.
- ^ "AP article on Trump demanding Biden take cognitive test". AP. Retrieved 23 July 2020.
- ^ "Politico article on Biden calling Barnett a "junkie". Politico. Retrieved 9 October 2020.
- ^ Stracqualursi, Sarah Mucha,Charlitta Rodrigues,Veronica (5 August 2020). "Biden clarifies he has not taken cognitive test | CNN Politics". CNN. Retrieved 6 December 2024.
{{cite web}}: CS1 maint: multiple names: authors list (link) - ^ "Paramount Press Express | CBS News 24/7 Announcements". www.paramountpressexpress.com. 7 October 2024. Retrieved 6 December 2024.
- ^ Fowler, Richard. "Errol Barnett Joins CBS' Morning Line-Up". Forbes. Retrieved 6 December 2024.
- ^ Steinberg, Brian (4 October 2024). "Errol Barnett Will Anchor 7 A.M. Slot at CBS News 24/7". Variety. Retrieved 6 December 2024.
- ^ "Dialogue 6: The loss of home | WUF". wuf.unhabitat.org. 4 September 2024. Retrieved 6 December 2024.
- ^ "Icon Mann Honors: Gina Prince-Bythewood Talks 'Woman King' Impact as Reginald Hudlin Celebrated by Kamala Harris". Retrieved 9 March 2023.
- ^ NABJ Headquarters (6 August 2022). #NABJ 2022 Salute to Excellence Awards Gala Powered by Global Blood Therapeutics. Retrieved 6 December 2024 – via YouTube.
- ^ "Errol Barnett during a panel discussion at the "Exclusive Preview Of..." Getty Images. 20 August 2021. Retrieved 6 December 2024.
- ^ FOCOS Foundation (15 October 2018). Panel Discussion at the 2018 FOCOS Fundraising Gala. Retrieved 6 December 2024 – via YouTube.
- ^ Prince, Richard. "Trump Campaign Turns Down Joint Black and Hispanic Journalists Convention". Retrieved 24 October 2018.
- ^ "International Press Institute: IPI's News Innovation Platform to host digital media event in South Africa". Archived from the original on 18 August 2016. Retrieved 8 August 2016.
- ^ World Bank Institute Archived 21 May 2013 at the Wayback Machine
- ^ "IPI bio". Archived from the original on 5 July 2010.
External links
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