Former CNN international correspondent sues network for unfair dismissal

A former international correspondent and reporter for CNN is suing the global news brand for wrongful termination and racial discrimination after she was seriously injured on the job in Israel nearly a decade ago.

Saima Mohsin, 46, who now works for Sky News, was reporting on the Israeli-Palestinian conflict from Jerusalem in 2014 when her cameraman ran over her left foot with a vehicle, causing severe tissue damage that left the journalist with an “invisible disability”. ‘

Mohsin says the injury prevented him from working full-time and he found it difficult to stand, sit and walk. She claims to have asked CNN for alternate assignments at the time and for rehabilitation support, which the company alleges she denied.

The British-Pakistani alleges she asked CNN if she could switch to a presenting role to minimize her travel schedule, but was told she didn’t “have the look we were going for”.

Mohsin posted on Instagram how he had suffered “terrible nerve problems” after his foot was run over.

Three years later, his contract with CNN was terminated, the guardian informed.

Mohsin said she decided to take the case to the employment court because the media mega-company failed to support her after a life-changing injury sustained on the job. The case was heard Monday in London court.

The journalist’s claim alleges discrimination based on race and disability, in addition to a complaint about the gender pay gap at CNN.

She says she was denied high-profile on-air opportunities, as managers chose to place white American on-air correspondents over her.

CNN did not comment on any of the allegations. The company opposes the entirety of Mohsin’s claim, arguing that the terms of Mohsin’s previous contract prevent it from presenting the case in London.

CNN has been dealing with its own spate of problems in recent weeks, as chief executive Chris Licht was unceremoniously ousted after barely a year at the helm.

Longtime boss Jeff Zucker was ousted last year for a secret relationship with a colleague. His departure allowed the new management at Warner Discovery to install Licht, who they hoped would steer the liberal network into the political center.

Mohsin also hopes her case will raise important questions about the safety of journalists and the industry’s treatment of women of color.

“This should concern all foreign correspondents who travel the world and risk doing their journalism in the belief that their employer will take care of them,” he said.

“I also take the opportunity to highlight the racism and gender pay gap issues I experienced. I was repeatedly let down and denied the ability to reach my potential while at CNN. I am filing my claim to take a stand and call for change to ensure that women journalists and women journalists of color are better protected.”

Saima Mohsin has been on Sky News since 2022

Mohsin is pictured while reporting abroad. The 46-year-old now presents regularly for Sky News after she claims CNN refused to offer her a similar role.

The journalist is suing her former employer alleging that she was ousted after being injured while working in the Middle East.

Mohsin is now a freelance presenter for Sky News and has done a special for ITV on the reality of living with an invisible disability.

She is being represented in court by Paras Gorasia and Jennifer Robinson, who also represented Azeem Rafiq in his lawsuit against Yorkshire County Cricket Club, according to The Guardian.

During the lead up to the case, Mohsin told the Daily Mirror that after being injured in 2014, she would stand “on one leg like a flamingo” while on camera, but was eventually forced to stop when her pain worsened and her limb twisted. black.

For several years, Mohsin has been working with a pain specialist who helped her treat her injury. She also received a blue badge, the London version of a disabled parking permit.