ABC News senior foreign correspondent Ian Pannell has been promoted to chief foreign correspondent, leading the news division’s on-air foreign coverage.
“Throughout his storied, 30-plus-year career as a journalist, Ian has been on the frontlines covering some of the most important and compelling stories across the world,” ABC News president Kim Godwin wrote in an internal staff memo. “As Russia invaded Ukraine earlier this year, Ian reported from Kyiv as the first missile strikes hit—and has spent months on the ground there, documenting the tragic developments and the devastating impact on the people inside the country.”
Pannell joined ABC News in June 2017 after a 25-year run at the BBC. Over the past five years at ABC, he has reported on the U.S.’ withdrawal from Afghanistan, the battle against ISIS in Iraq and Syria, the fight to retake Mosul, the killing of U.S. soldiers in Niger, the Covid-19 pandemic in Mexico and the fight and famine in Yemen.
While at BBC, Pannell was the first TV journalist to report from Kabul after the Taliban left Afghanistan in 2001. He was in Kabul the day it was liberated—and was there for ABC News 20 years later when it fell to the Taliban once more. In addition to Afghanistan, Pannell has spent time reporting from myriad conflict zones, including Egypt, Bahrain, Libya and the Gaza Strip.
Over his 30-year career in news, Pannell has been honored with Peabodys, Emmys, The Prix Bayeux-Calvados Award for War Correspondents, the James Cameron Memorial Award for Foreign Correspondents, The Royal Television Society Award for International News Coverage and others.
“Despite difficult and often dangerous situations, Ian continues to deliver powerful reporting, often setting the tone and pace for our international breaking news and ongoing coverage,” added Godwin. “I look forward to continued excellence from Ian and the entire foreign news team, led by Katie Den Daas and Kirit Radia.”