Chris Rogers (journalist)

Television

Rogers came to prominence at the age of nineteen as a presenter of Newsround on BBC One in 1994.

Among his investigative work Rogers has covered the plight of abandoned children left in institutions in Eastern Europe, particularly in Romania. In 2008 this led to the reporter taking the Duchess of York and her daughters undercover in Turkey and Romania for a Tonight special, on ITV. Turkey's foreign minister criticised the use of hidden cameras for breaching privacy and created diplomatic tensions and even the threat of arrest which Rogers later described in a book called Undercover. It is also reported that the journalist helped end the plight of child prisoners held in adult overcrowded jails with his expose on the issue. His investigation into the treatment of Palestinian child POW's by the Israeli Defence Force and the use of children as suicide bombers by militants landed him an Amnesty International Media Award. Rogers has even spent seven months undercover posing as a trafficker, secretly filming the European gangs who sell women to UK brothels. For ITV Tonight he illustrated how easy it is to buy British Medical Records on India's data black market.

Since 2010, Rogers has been a presenter on the BBC News channel, BBC London News and BBC World News. He is also an investigative reporter for BBC News, among his many films for Panorama, Our World, Newsnight and BBC News he has investigated racism in football ahead of Euro 2012 for what was the controversial BBC Panorama: Stadiums of Hate. Rogers' BBC News report 'Child Sacrifice', exposing witchcraft in Uganda and the United Kingdom was nominated for an Emmy award in 2012. He is a contributor for the Mail on Sunday. In November 2010, August 2011 and March 2013 he fronted the BBC News at Six and News at Ten, during separate strikes by BBC journalists.

In 2013, Rogers made a thirty-minute investigative report for the BBC's Inside Out which uncovered a trend in sex gang grooming. Rogers spoke to young Sikh girls who claimed to have been sexually groomed by gangs of Muslim men. The reporter gained access to the Sikh community and many victims claimed that they had never spoke of or reported their abuse to protect their family honour. Rogers also travelled to Indonesia where he posed as a coffee importer and uncovered horrific animal cruelty behind a luxury coffee made out of civet cat droppings. Harrods has as a result removed the Civet Cat coffee from its shelves. In February 2014 Rogers gained access to North Korea. For a BBC Panorama Rogers was able to film with the future ruling elite who were studying at a western funded university in Pyongyang and receiving a western funded education. He was also able to film in Pyongyang openly.

For a Panorama Special, on 4 June 2014, Rogers reported on what he described as the dark side of Brazil just a few days ahead of the World Cup. The film revealed the poverty, violence, drugs, and more shockingly the prostitution of children as young as 9 years old. Panorama – Brazil: In the Shadow of the Stadiums has been described as his best work, shocking politicians, football fans, celebrities, and footballers alike. The investigative reporters work has recently included filming undercover in what campaigners describe as the world's worst hospital In Guatemala where patients were filmed by the reporter in terrible conditions and the hospital's director admitted that the patients were sexually abused. In July 2015 Rogers made a special report for the BBC News at 10 and Our World, reporting from the UK and Afghanistan on how unaccompanied child asylum seekers who had fled the war torn country were being allowed to stay in the UK and live with foster families, but when they reached 18, they are controversially deported back to Kabul after spending most of their lives in Britain, unable to speak the Afghan language, with little knowledge of Afghan culture and terrified for their lives.

In 2015 he began regularly presenting World News Today on BBC World News and BBC News Channel or BBC Four.

Radio

Rogers is a relief presenter on BBC London 94.9's Breakfast and Drivetime. He also has his own radio show on BBC London every Sunday now with former Heart presenter Harriet Scott. He also presents OutSide Source on the BBC World Service. He regularly presented on BBC Five Live between 2003 and 2005. In his very early career, starting in his teens, Rogers presented No Limits for Hallam FM and was also a presenter on London's Capital FM.

Awards

2014: Guild of Food Writers Award: best Programme: Our World Coffee's Cruel Secret (BBC)

2014: Prix Circom Award: Sex grooming gangs: The Sikh Code of Silence (BBC)

2012: Emmy Award : Child Sacrifice (BBC)

2012: Human Trafficking Foundation Media Award: Child Sacrifice (BBC)

2011: Human Trafficking Foundation Media Award, 'They're Dying to Get to Britain' Mail on Sunday

2008: Amnesty International Media Award: Palestinian Child POW's (ITV)

2008: Royal Television Society Award: Best programme: London Bombings: One Year On (ITV)

2007: One World Award, 'Romania's Unwanted Children'(ITV)

2007: Royal Television Society: (Nominee) Television Journalist of the Year (Romania's Unwanted Children ITV)