ATLANTA — CNN founder Ted Turner felt a calling to help unite journalists from around the world.
That’s a mission he accomplished with a 22-year-old who was fresh out of college in 1996.
Sonia Tucker sat down with Channel 2’s Wendy Corona to remember Turner and CNN’s Fellowship Program, which she ran from 1996 to 2022.
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Tucker showed Corona photo albums filled with journalists from around the world who spent time learning at the CNN Center.
“I’m getting messages from Kenya to Oman to Kuwait,” she said.
The young journalists became immersed in CNN and learned how the network covered news.
“Nothing was ever held back so they could learn everything, have a brand partnership experience, go back to their stations and implement everything they learned,” Tucker said.
She said Turner was always involved in the program, aiming to make it a once in a lifetime experience.
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“He would always give his tickets to the basketball game. He would always give his tickets to the baseball game,” she said. “He wanted to make sure they had the front row. He wanted to make sure they had that cultural experience.”
Part of his legacy includes the friendships formed and the shared mission that continues in newsrooms around the world.
“I know deep in his heart, my heart that we were on a mission and we’re still on a mission for goodness,” Tucker said.
She said that even after leaving CNN, Turner didn’t leave the fellows. He continued meetings with them at his private office.
Tucker said she continues that mission with her company Global Media Connection.
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