Isha Sesay quits CNN over too much Trump coverage, speaks on her book about Chibok girls

Popular CNN reporter, Isha Sesay, has announced her exit from the organisation after 13 years.

Sesay is a British born journalist of Sierra Leonean descent.

The journalist broke the news on her Twitter handle, @IamIshaSesay on Wednesday.

“It’s really happening, folks!! After more than a decade behind the desk with those three red letters… I HAVE LEFT CNN.”

In an interview with What We Seee, Sesay said: “It’s an exciting time for me — and a nerve-wracking one. I’m writing a book about the Chibok girls”.

She says: “I’ve been at CNN for 13 years, it’s the end of a huge chapter. It’s been such a tremendous time, such an eventful 13 years — I feel like I grew up working there. I showed up as a 30-year-old in 2005, with two suitcases and a one-year contract — I’ve managed to make that last 13 years! It’s been amazing, I’ve been married when I was there, divorced when I was there, it’s all happened.”

On leaving CNN after so many years?

She says “I want to spend more time with my girls”. Her girls are the girls of W.E. Can Lead, a nonprofit she set up in Sierra Leone.

The girls of Sierra Leone face unique challenges, like teenage pregnancy, a lack of education, and early marriage due to extreme poverty.

Talking about what’s next for her in life, she says:

It’s an exciting time for me — and a nerve-wracking one. I’m writing a book about the Chibok girls, it’s being released in May 2019. It really speaks to where my head is at, currently — a lot more coverage about Africa, a lot more work on the continent, and a lot more focus on young girls. That’s what I’m about right now. It’s a real indictment of the society we live in now.

Sesay also revealed her frustration with Western media, which is focused on US President Trump, “It’s all so Trump-focused.

“He sucked all of the oxygen out of the room. The media is following that lead to the exclusion of almost everything else, in a meaningful way. For me, personally, it’s not what I want to spend all my time doing.”

“After a while, I want to do more coverage of the Ebola outbreak, of the elections in Liberia, or any number of things that are happening. I’m ready to take control of what I’m talking about,” Sesay added.