the really crucially important thing is, cnn has democratized information. it has made news available to anybody. it has contributed to civil society around the world.

how so?
the whole notion of a free and independent press has fired the imagination of many broadcasters in many parts of the world. many other countries have copied us. from europe to the middle east to east asia, there are 24-hour news operations, and this gives their people a view of their own world they've never had before. cnn has contributed to showing the rest of the world, particularly countries that aren't free, that there are societies where information flows freely. and a free press is one of the pillars of a free society.

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christiane amanpour is cnn's chief international correspondent. she is based in london.

2) wolf blitzer

do you think people have different expectations about when and how they get their news now?
the news cycle is really different. when i started out, we had the evening newscast at 6:30, and people were working all day to get ready for that. now the news changes every hour or two, and people expect to get that news quickly, in part because of what cnn did in 1980, which was to go on the air 24 hours a day.

so cnn's 24-hour-a-day presence has itself changed people's expectations?
people expect their news right away now, when before they'd just wait until dinnertime. we've spoiled them because we've been delivering news to them that way, immediately.

how has technology changed your job?
the internet has made our jobs easier. as a reporter you can get transcripts, research, background materials. information that in the old days it might take a week to get, you can now get in a couple of hours. but it's still old-fashioned facts that matter. the procedure is the same: you dig, you get information, you give the aggrieved person an opportunity to respond. you may want to go on the air quickly with something, but you have to make sure you're right.