Page 48 - Powerlist 2019 - Digital Edition

Profiles

NEW Charlene White
2019
ITN news anchor

ITV News presenter Charlene White has smashed through a
few barriers en route to our television screens.
At 24, after graduating from the London College of
Printing, she became the youngest senior broadcast
journalist at the BBC. She was appointed news presenter
for the corporation’s 1Xtra Radio, then landed her own
late-night show on BBC London before reading the bulletins
on Radio 5 Live.
She moved to ITN in 2008, as a newscaster for the ITV
News at 5.30, and in 2014 became the first African Caribbean
woman to present ITV News at Ten. Now 37, she presents
bulletins for the ITV lunchtime, evening and weekend news,
as well as GMTV and the National Lottery.
During her career she has faced racist abuse on social
media – most notably for refusing to wear a Remembrance
Day poppy while presenting the ITV News bulletins. She
has spoken out about the abuse she has faced, insisting: “It
is a subject that provokes a lot of debate and anger but it is
one that I feel strongly about.” She has explained that as a
patron of various charities – including World Aids Day and
Bowel Cancer Awareness (her mother died of the disease
at just 47) – she is unable to give them all exposure on-
screen because of strict impartiality rules, so chooses not to
publicly support one over the others.
She is from a Forces family – her father served in the
& Entertainment
RAF and her uncle in the Army – and has said: “It is always
important to remember what my family, your family, and
millions of people over many generations have fought for:
the right to choose, and the right of freedom of speech and
expression.”
An impassioned champion of young BAME women in
Media, Publishing

the industry, Charlene is a member of the Diversity Panel
at ITV News, regularly takes part in events for the Cultural
Diversity Network and is ambassador for the Precious
Awards celebrating the success of women of colour.
Charlene volunteers at community radio stations, schools
and colleges to help with media training, and in 2016, she
was named Volunteer of the Year by The Media Trust.

44 Powerlist 2019