Christiane Amanpour

Some people accused me of being pro-Muslim in Bosnia, but I realised that our job is to give all sides an equal hearing, but in cases of genocide you can't just be neutral. You can't just say, 'Well, this little boy was shot in the head and killed in besieged Sarajevo and that guy over there did it, but maybe he was upset because he had an argument with his wife.' No, there is no equality there, and we had to tell the truth.

I leave CNN with the utmost respect, love and admiration for the company and everyone who works here. This has been my family and shared endeavor for the past 27 years, and I am forever grateful and proud of all that we have accomplished.

And one thing that I always believed and that I knew for certain was that I could never have sustained a personal relationship while I worked this hard, or while I was that driven this intensely by the story.

In emerging democracies like Russia, in authoritarian states like Iran or even Yugoslavia, journalists play a vital role in civil society. In fact, they form the very basis of those new democracies and civil societies.

In Iran the whole reform and democracy movement has been based on the emerging free press.

We were thrilled and we were privileged to be part of a revolution, because make no mistake about it, Ted Turner changed the world with CNN.

Because if we the storytellers don't do this, then the bad people will win.

What you do, what you say, how you react to critical situations defines not just the moment, but it defines and shapes you.

If you have a child, I said, you have a responsibility at least to stay alive.

They take journalism really seriously because they know the force that it is and can be.

In Bosnia, little children shot in the head by a guy who thinks it's okay to aim his gun at a child.

And then theres always the crying and the weeping that we hear-children, women, even men. And these images and these sounds are always with me.

There are some situations one simply cannot be neutral about, because when you are neutral you are an accomplice. Objectivity doesn't mean treating all sides equally. It means giving each side a hearing.

We in the press, by our power, can actually undermine leadership.