After graduating from the CU/LSE program, Cheyn continued the Persian-language study he began at Columbia through a Fulbright-Hays scholarship. He next worked for CNN as an editor in Atlanta, reviewing domestic and international news immediately before air. In this capacity, he shaped CNN's coverage of the Russian invasion of Ukraine, the Women, Life, Freedom protests in Iran, and the end of democracy in Hong Kong.
In 2023, Cheyn left CNN to serve as a Presidential Management Fellow with Voice of America, a US-funded broadcaster which reached over 300 million people around the world in fifty languages. He worked on audience strategy and cross-language initiatives, especially for VOA's Persian and Chinese services. He was also detailed to Prague to work with Radio Free Europe on journalist safety, especially in Ukraine.
While at Columbia and LSE, Cheyn wrote a thesis on Iranian diplomatic history during WWII, became proficient in Persian, and served as a rapporteur for Columbia's Middle East and Peace Studies seminars. He has previously worked as a middle school teacher, an editorial assistant, a dental receptionist, and a college tutor. Non-professionally (and sometimes unprofessionally) he enjoys traveling, cooking, and reading.
