One of the most respected journalists of the 21st century will be leaving CNN.
As The Hollywood Reporter reports, veteran journalist Christiane Amanpour has announced plans to exit the cable news network that has been her home for the past 43 years.
Amanpour’s Exit to Come Next Year
Per THR’s report, Amanpour plans to “scale back” her CNN duties for the time being before making her official exit in June.
“Christiane has thought carefully about this decision, and she and I have been discussing it for some months,” wrote CNN CEO Mark Thompson in a memo sent to staffers on Monday, October 19.
“Like so many CNNers who will hear the news today, I’m very sorry to see her go, but I’ve come to accept that this is the right time for her, both personally and professionally,” Thompson added.
A CNN Veteran
Arguably the network’s most high-profile correspondent, Amanpour first joined CNN as an intern in 1983.
From 1992 to 2010, Amanpour served as CNN’s chief international correspondent, and in 2009 began anchoring “Amanpour,” her own daily show.
Over the years, Amanpour has been on the scene of pretty much every international crises, in nations ranging from Afghanistan to Palestine to Rwanda. She’s interviewed numerous world leaders, a lengthy list spanning from British PM Tony Blair to the Dalai Lama, and has also interviewed such celebs as Tom Hanks and Meryl Streep.
Amanpour confirmed her exit plan in a statement she issued. “After many months of thought and a few sleepless nights, I have decided to separate from CNN, my partner of 43 fantastic years!” she said. “I will end my daily shows across CNN and PBS at the end of this year, while continuing to maintain a weekly show on CNN through May and working on a smooth transition through June.
Curious Timing
While no reason was given for her exit, Amanpour’s announcement arrives weeks after Skydance completed its acquisition of Warner Bros. Discovery, which will bring CNN under the same corporate umbrella as Paramount’s CBS News.
Back in May, in a speech she gave at the Truth Tellers Summit in New York City, Amanpour publicly shared her concerns about the massive media merger and the impact it could have on CNN.
“Clearly I’m concerned, and I’m not sure how much I’m allowed to say about a corporate thing that’s under way, but I am obviously, as a person, as a journalist with a record, concerned, and I’m concerned based on what’s happened to the other things that [Skydance chief David Ellison has] taken over already, like CBS News,” she said, as reported by The Guardian.
In her remarks, Amanpour pulled no punches in detailing the sweeping changes made by Bari Weiss, Ellison’s hand-picked new editor-in-chief of CBS News, which had been evident in declining viewership of “The CBS Evening News” and behind-the-scenes turmoil at “60 Minutes.”
“I mean, do I have to list what’s happening there?” Amanpour continued.
“I mean, hemorrhaging viewers, probably hemorrhaging money. This ideological realignment of CBS and the destruction, potentially of ’60 Minutes’ … I mean, nobody can match ’60 Minute’s for a brilliant television magazine show that’s been doing hard news and cultural news for decades — top-rated, top money-maker for the network,” Amanpour added at the time. “So clearly, obviously, I’m concerned. I would like to think that we would have the very basic, which is editorial independence. I’m hoping for that. I know many of us at CNN are incredibly — including leadership — are very, very committed to that, clearly. And I don’t think I need to say more than that.”
Christiane Amanpour To Exit CNN After Four Decades