Editing Richard Quest

{{short description|British journalist and non-practising barrister}}
{{Use dmy dates|date=July 2024}}
{{Use British English|date=September 2023}}
{{Infobox person
| name               = Richard Quest
| image              = Richard Quest in 2024 (cropped).jpg
| caption            = Quest in 2024.
| alt                =
| birth_name         = Richard Austin Quest
| birth_date         = {{birth date and age|1962|03|09|df=y}}
| birth_place        = [[Liverpool]], England
| education          = [[University of Leeds]] ([[LLB]])
| nationality        = British
| occupation         = [[Barrister]] (non-practising) <br /> Journalist
| credits            = ''[[Business International (TV series)|Business International]]''<br />''Quest Means Business'' <br /> ''[[500 Questions]]''
}}
'''Richard Austin Quest''' (born 9 March 1962) is a British journalist and non-practising [[barrister]] working as a news anchor for [[CNN International]]. He is also an editor-at-large of [[CNN Business]].

He anchors ''Quest Means Business'', the five-times-weekly business programme and fronts the CNN shows ''[[Business Traveller]]'',<ref name="CNN"/> ''The Express'' and ''Quest's World of Wonder''.

==Early life and education==
Quest is a native of [[Liverpool]] in Lancashire (now [[Merseyside]]), England, having been born and partly brought up there. He is of [[Sephardic Jews|Sephardic Jewish]] descent.<ref>{{Cite news|first= Dan|last= Bloom|authorlink=   |title= Bloom's Quest for a Jewish story a success  |newspaper=[[San Diego Jewish World]]|date= December 26, 2014|url=https://www.sdjewishworld.com/2014/12/26/blooms-quest-jewish-story-success/ |via=}}</ref>

He was educated at the [[Comprehensive school (England and Wales)|state comprehensive]] [[Roundhay School]] in [[Leeds]], followed by [[Airedale and Wharfedale College]] and the [[University of Leeds]], where he earned a [[Bachelor of Laws]] in 1983, and was called to the [[Barrister|Bar]].<ref name="CNN">{{cite web | date = n.d. | url = https://edition.cnn.com/profiles/richard-quest-profile | title = Anchors & Reporters: Richard Quest | publisher = [[CNN]] | access-date = 24 July 2014 | archive-date = 2 March 2021 | archive-url = https://web.archive.org/web/20210302003904/http://edition.cnn.com/CNN/anchors_reporters/quest.richard.html | url-status = live }}</ref> He spent the 1983–1984 academic year in the United States at [[Vanderbilt University]] in [[Nashville, Tennessee]], where he was the news director of [[WRVU]].

==Career==
[[File:Quest at WRVU.jpg|thumb|upright|215px|Quest and Lisa Neideffer of WRVU-FM broadcasting at Vanderbilt University, 1984]]
[[File:2006 Spectrum London.jpg|thumb|upright|215px|Quest interviews [[Stuckism|Stuckist]] artist [[Ella Guru]] at [[Spectrum London]] gallery, 2006]]
Quest became a trainee journalist at the [[BBC]] in 1985, joining its financial section in 1987, and moving to New York City in 1989 to become the BBC's North American business correspondent.

Quest later worked for the BBC from the United States as part of its then-fledgling [[BBC News 24]] channel. He was the business correspondent reporting on, and discussing the world [[stock market]] in a regular segment entitled ''World Business Report'' usually aired between 2:00&nbsp;am and 3:00&nbsp;am (GMT), a programme that he presented alongside [[Paddy O'Connell]]. He was also an occasional presenter on the BBC's early-morning ''[[Business Breakfast]]'' programme.

Quest joined CNN in 2001, initially as co-presenter of newly-launched programme ''[[Business International (TV series)|Business International]]''.<ref name="Campaign">{{cite magazine |title=Media: Credit Suisse links with business show on CNN |url=https://www.campaignlive.co.uk/article/media-credit-suisse-links-business-show-cnn/56775|access-date= 6 October 2024 |magazine=[[Campaign (magazine)|Campaign]] |date=8 February 2001 |author=Poppy Brech}}</ref> A year later, he moved to the European breakfast show [[CNN Today|BizNews]], which he presented until 2005.<ref name="DS">{{cite web|title=Quest spearheads new CNN billboard ads |url=https://www.digitalspy.com/tv/a6257/quest-spearheads-new-cnn-billboard-ads/|access-date= 5 July 2024 |website= [[Digital Spy]] |date= 15 February 2002|author= Welsh, James}}</ref> Since this time Quest has covered a variety of different events for CNN, among others an analysis of the US elections as ''American Quest'' and the start of the circulation of [[Euro]] banknotes and coins on 1 January 2002 and the last official commercial flight of [[Concorde]]. He has also headed up CNN's coverage of several events involving the [[British Royal Family]].

In 2006, Quest turned down an opportunity to join [[Al Jazeera English]] news channel, the English language version of [[Al Jazeera Arabic|al-Jazeera]], "on the grounds that being gay and Jewish might not be suitable".<ref name="Jazeera">{{cite news|title=Look East – After Long Delays and a Rumoured Editorial Split with Its Arabic Parent, English-Language News Channel al-Jazeera Will Go on Air This Week |url=https://www.theguardian.com/media/2006/nov/13/mondaymediasection16|access-date= 24 July 2014 |newspaper= [[The Guardian]] |date= 12 November 2006|author= Gibson, Owen |author2=Rattansi, Afshin |quote=But there were delays from the start. It was hard to recruit big-name presenters: Richard Quest of CNN said he turned down an offer on the grounds that being gay and Jewish might not be suitable.}}</ref>

On 9 April 2015, Quest was announced as the host of the [[American Broadcasting Company|ABC]] game show ''[[500 Questions]]''. He was replaced by [[Dan Harris (journalist)|Dan Harris]] for the show's second season.

On 8 June 2015, Quest appeared as a contestant on ''The CNN Quiz Show: The Seventies Edition'' special produced by Eimear Crombie, along with his partner [[Brooke Baldwin]] playing for [[StandUp for Kids]].

Quest is also an Aviation Correspondent for CNN,<ref>{{cite news|author= Quest, Richard|url= http://www.cnn.com/2016/03/07/asia/mh370-quest-pilots/|title= MH370: Did the pilots do it?|publisher= CNN|date= 8 March 2016|access-date= 17 March 2016}}</ref> and extensively covered the story of [[Malaysia Airlines Flight 370]], which disappeared on 8 March 2014.<ref name=penguin/> Quest later wrote the book, ''The Vanishing of Flight MH370: The True Story of the Hunt for the Missing Malaysian Plane'', published by [[Penguin Random House]] on 8 March 2016.<ref name=penguin>{{cite web|url= http://www.penguinrandomhouse.com/books/318827/the-vanishing-of-flight-mh370-by-richard-quest/9780425283011/|title= The Vanishing of Flight MH370|publisher= Penguin Random House|access-date= 17 March 2016}}</ref>

==Personal life==
In 2008, Quest was arrested in New York City's [[Central Park]] "with some drugs in his pocket, a rope around his neck that was tied to his genitals, and a sex toy in his boot."<ref>{{Cite web|last=Shea|first=Danny|date=26 April 2008|title=Richard Quest, CNN Reporter, Arrested On Drug Charges|url=https://www.huffpost.com/entry/richard-quest-cnn-reporte_n_97466|access-date=9 June 2021|website=HuffPost|language=en}}</ref> Quest admitted being in possession of [[crystal methamphetamine]], a [[controlled substance]].<ref name="nytimes">{{cite news|author = Hartocollis, Anemona|url = http://cityroom.blogs.nytimes.com/2008/04/18/cnn-reporter-faces-drug-charge/|title = CNN Reporter Faces Drug Charge|publisher = City Room (blog of [[The New York Times]])|date = 19 April 2008|access-date = 19 April 2008}}</ref>

On 26 June 2014, Quest described his past experience as a closeted gay man on his CNN television programme ''Quest Means Business''.<ref>[https://www.cnn.com/videos/bestoftv/2014/06/27/quest-profitable-moment-gay.cnn Quest: I'm honest about who I am] Retrieved 20 April 2020.</ref>

==See also==
* [[Broadcast journalism]]
* [[LGBT culture in New York City]]
* [[List of LGBT people from New York City]]
* [[New Yorkers in journalism]]

==References==
{{reflist}}

==External links==
{{Wikiquote}}
* {{IMDb name|1936120}}
* [https://edition.cnn.com/profiles/richard-quest-profile CNN staff biography] 
* [https://web.archive.org/web/20021223183144/http://edition.cnn.com/CNNI/Programs/business.traveller/ CNN ''Business Traveller'']
* [https://web.archive.org/web/20050909230409/http://edition.cnn.com/CNNI/Programs/quest/ CNN ''Quest'']
* {{Muckrack}}

{{Authority control}}

{{DEFAULTSORT:Quest, Richard}}
[[Category:1962 births]]
[[Category:20th-century English LGBTQ people]]
[[Category:21st-century English LGBTQ people]]
[[Category:Living people]]
[[Category:Alumni of the University of Leeds]]
[[Category:BBC newsreaders and journalists]]
[[Category:CNN people]]
[[Category:English expatriates in the United States]]
[[Category:English Jews]]
[[Category:English television journalists]]
[[Category:English gay writers]]
[[Category:Journalists from New York City]]
[[Category:People educated at Roundhay School]]
[[Category:English LGBTQ broadcasters]]
[[Category:English LGBTQ journalists]]
[[Category:Gay journalists]]
[[Category:Gay Jews]]
[[Category:Television presenters from Liverpool]]
[[Category:Vanderbilt University alumni]]
[[Category:English people of Jewish descent]]