It was a passion born of his own experience as a hostage during the siege of the Iranian embassy in London in 1980. Cramer was at the embassy to obtain a visa when armed men who oppose Ayatollah Khomeini invaded the place. After 24 hours as a hostage, he told the gunmen he was not well and was released, leaving to provide crucial information to authorities about the layout of the embassy, the number of armed men and hostages.
It was an experience that he later realized that traumatized him in ways he did not understand at the time, and as his career as a newspaper head took off, he remembered the impacts, long before PTSD became a popular term for soldiers and others.
In January 2004, I was on a two-car CNN convoy ambushed by insurgents south of Baghdad. One of our two drivers and my translator died, and my photographer sitting next to me survived a gunshot to the head. Almost all of us died that day.
It was Cramer, then executive vice president and managing director of CNN International, who knew exactly what those of us who survived were going through and acted accordingly.
He had already established a system within the company where the team could have access to professional help if needed after a traumatic incident, but crucially, on that day, he understood on a personal level our need to stay in Iraq together as a team for one more time. week to process the experience and attend funerals, instead of leaving immediately for our respective scattered homes.
“Among his many accomplishments, Chris was a pioneer and innovator in field security, as the world became more dangerous for journalists,” said Cramer’s successor at CNN International, Tony Maddox, who continued and expanded what Cramer had started.
“He led the development of guidelines and practices now widely adopted across the industry.”
I, at least, will always remember – and will be grateful for – Cramer’s empathy for those who have seen and experienced terrible things. He knew from experience what it was like. I was in Iraq 17 times during the war and I also covered conflicts – from Afghanistan to Libya, Gaza and the West Bank – and I always felt that Chris was protecting us with the best possible security and support, both tangible and emotional.
Before joining CNN in April 1996, Cramer spent 25 years on the BBC. He was head of news gathering and was on the BBC’s board of news and current affairs, and was highly regarded by those with whom he worked.
He was also president and founding member of the International News Safety Institute (INSI) – a global organization dedicated to the safety of journalists.
As news of Cramer’s death spread, those who worked with him began to report on his memories of the man and their impact on their careers.
Octavia Nasr was CNN’s senior editor for Middle Eastern Affairs, a position created by Cramer after the 9/11 attacks. “Chris was an incredible boss,” she recalls.
“I will never forget the lessons I learned from him about being straightforward and fighting for someone’s rights – he supported women in senior and executive positions and helped us succeed. I owe him gratitude and respect and I will miss his journalistic ethics and sense of humor very much. “
Chris can be many things – sometimes on the same day or at the same meeting. Tough, direct and uncompromising, but also charming and extremely funny. And above all, he cared deeply about journalists and good journalism.
It was certainly unique and we will be sorely missed.