Waffa began her career with CNN at its Jerusalem bureau in 1996. There she worked with our top war correspondents while fulfilling various roles, including desk editor, field producer, and circus master. Among the many events she covered: the Second Intifada, the Gaza pullout, the war with Hezbollah and the visit of Pope John Paul II in 2000.

Waffa also helped cover the crash of EgyptAir flight 990, the funeral of Jordan’s King Hussein, the Gulf War and a major earthquake in Turkey in 1999.

In 2002 Waffa moved to Atlanta, where she worked as an editor and supervising editor on the International Desk. She helped cover such stories as the 2004 Asian tsunami, the 2010 Haiti earthquake and the Arab Spring.

She set out in 2010 to build CNN’s network of independent journalists. Now over 2,000 strong, these independent journalists provide CNN with breaking news content from around the globe.