‘United
Nations
of News’
American TV journalist
anchors newscast
in Istanbul
Growing up in the rural northeastern N.C. community
of Margarettsville, Clint Deloatch ’ 78 says, “we had more
cows in town than we had people.”
But he had a sense there was a bigger world out there
and that he could play a role in it.
“I came out of high school knowing I wanted to be a
television news reporter,” says Deloatch, one of 10 children
in his family. “It was the Watergate era, and we had a new
appreciation for journalists and their ability to impact the
nation and the world.”
So Deloatch majored in radio, television and motion pic-
tures at UNC, and his career included more than two
decades as a news writer and producer for CNN. That’s
where he was working two years ago, when the journalist
from a small town packed his bags and headed for one of
the world’s most populous regions as news anchor at
6News in Istanbul, Turkey.
He had heard about the station from a Turkish journalist
who had worked at CNN. When 6News decided to add an
English-language broadcast, it tapped Deloatch for the job.
“It’s like working at the United Nations of news,” Deloatch
says, “with English, Russian, Arabic, French and Spanish
speakers all working in the same newsroom.”
He’s also having an impact beyond journalism. “I am the
first African-American to anchor a regular television news-
cast in Istanbul,” Deloatch says. Noting that curiosity is
more common than racism, he tells the story of a 3-year-
old Russian girl who came up to him and touched his skin.
“I smiled, and she giggled,” Deloatch says. “Her mom ran to
get her, apologizing. I laughed and let them know it was
OK. When I lived in Thailand, the Thai kids and even some
of the adults called me ‘chocolate man.’ They were not
racist, just wonderfully innocent. I rather liked being called
a chocolate man.”
On a more serious note, Deloatch’s spot at 6News has
given him a front-row seat as turmoil rolls through the
Middle East and Northern Africa. “From here, there is con-
cern that the uprisings may not actually turn into democra-
cies,” Deloatch says about opinions in one of the region’s
most stable democracies. “There is concern that some could
morph into what Iran is now. Iran claims to have democra-
cy, but there are people who were part of the deadly
protests after the last disputed election who certainly do not
PHOTOS COURTESY OF CLINT DELOATCH ’ 78
think there is democracy there.”
For Deloatch, it’s also like living at the center of that big
world he knew as a kid was out there waiting for him.
“Istanbul is sometimes called the crossroads of the world,”
he says. “This country has so much rich history.”
— Susan Simone
Above, Clint
Deloatch and
the Trojan horse,
a sculpture given
to the city of
Canakkale, Turkey,
after the filming of
the movie Troy. The
ancient city of Troy
was located in what
is now Turkey. At
left, Deloatch is pictured with Serkan
Oral, former editor-in-chief of 6News;
Tayyip Erdogan,
prime minister of
Turkey; and Sophie
Shevardnadze of
Russia Today.
To see Clint Deloatch anchor the news on 6News,
visit www.6news.com.tr/en. Click on the
“CANLI/LIVE” button at the top of the page. His
newscasts are scheduled for Monday-Friday at 6, 8 and
9 p.m. Istanbul time ( 11 a.m., 1 and 2 p.m. EDT).
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