She highlighted the plight of young people moving between continents and had the language skills to follow their journey in a way that no-one else could achieve". "Her fearless reports from Africa and the Middle East' meant that she was 'being compared to [CNN's] veteran Christiane Amanpour", wrote media commentator Maggie Brown on 27 February 2016's The Observer. On January 27, 2022 Elbagir was promoted to CNN's Chief International Investigative Correspondent.
Elbagir brought attention to the challenges faced by young people moving between countries and used her language skills to follow their journeys in a way no one else could. Her fearless reporting from Africa and the Middle East earned comparisons with veteran journalist Christiane Amanpour, as noted by media commentator Maggie Brown on February 27, 2016's The Observer. On January 27, 2022, Elbagir was promoted to CNN's Chief International Investigative Correspondent.