Edward Stourton, veteran BBC and ITN broadcaster, dies at 68
The British journalist covered Washington, Baghdad, Sarajevo and post-9/11 New York across a 45-year career in television, radio and books.
By Bianca Rossi · Entertainment Editor
3 min read
Edward Stourton, the British broadcaster whose reporting career took him from the Reagan White House to Baghdad, Sarajevo and New York after 9/11, has died at 68.
The BBC said Stourton died on Saturday surrounded by his family. The broadcaster had been diagnosed with prostate cancer in 2014, according to Deadline.
Born in Lagos, Nigeria, in 1957, Stourton began in journalism as a trainee at Independent Television News, Deadline reported. He was also among the founding figures at Channel 4 News.
His first major spell in overseas reporting came in Beirut in 1983. Three years later, he moved to the United States as Channel 4’s Washington correspondent, covering the closing years of Ronald Reagan’s presidency.
A career built on big stories
Stourton later joined the BBC as its Paris correspondent from 1988 to 1990, before returning to ITN as diplomatic editor, according to Deadline.
That job put him in the middle of several defining international stories. Deadline reported that Stourton covered Baghdad during the first Gulf War, Bosnia during the siege of Sarajevo and Moscow during the collapse of the Soviet Union.
He went back to the BBC in 1993, presenting BBC One’s One O’Clock News for six years. He also fronted editions of current affairs programs including Assignment and Panorama, while moving further into radio.
In 1999, Stourton joined BBC Radio 4’s Today, one of the corporation’s best-known news and current affairs programs. Deadline reported that he became one of its main presenters.
During his early years on Today, Stourton was among the first international journalists to reach New York after the September 11 attacks, according to Deadline.
His run on the program ended in 2008, when he was removed as Justin Webb was brought in. Deadline reported that the decision triggered a media row and public criticism from listeners, intensified by reports that Stourton learned of the move through a media leak before official confirmation.
Despite that episode, Stourton remained with the BBC for the rest of his career, Deadline reported.
Religion, ethics and a final American project
A lifelong practicing Roman Catholic, Stourton also became known for work on religion and ethics. Deadline cited his 1997 four-part series Absolute Truth, which examined the modern Catholic Church, his work on Radio 4’s long-running Sunday, and his 2006 papal biography John Paul II: Man of History.
He wrote 10 books over his career, according to Deadline. His final major project, Made in America: the Dark History that Led to Donald Trump, was published this year to coincide with the 250th anniversary of the American Declaration of Independence.
Jonathan Munro, interim CEO of BBC News and Current Affairs, said Stourton’s death came “far too soon” and remembered working as his producer when Stourton was ITN’s diplomatic editor. Munro described him as “unflappable” and praised the range of programs he had presented, including Today, BBC One’s One O’Clock News, The World at One and Sunday.
Stourton is survived by his wife, Fiona Stourton, and his four children, according to Deadline.
This story draws on original reporting from Deadline.