Christiane Amanpour, CNN's chief international anchor, announced Monday she will leave the network next year after 43 years, calling it in a statement a decision reached after 'many months of thought and a few sleepless nights.'
'I have decided to separate from CNN, my partner of 43 fantastic years!' Amanpour, 68, said. She added that she 'looks forward to interesting new projects down the line,' while saying she would 'always be rooting for CNN and maintaining its history of independent journalism,' closing with her own guiding principle: 'Remember: always be truthful, not neutral.'
From international desk assistant to global voice
Amanpour joined CNN in 1983 as an assistant on the international news desk and rose to become one of the network's most recognizable correspondents, reporting from conflict zones including the 1992 US-led peacekeeping operation in Mogadishu. She has hosted her own nightly interview program on CNN International since 2009, interviewing heads of state and newsmakers across decades of global upheaval.
CNN chairman Mark Thompson called her 'one of the most trusted and beloved journalists anywhere' and said the network would take time to celebrate her contributions before her departure next year. In a memo to staff, Thompson wrote that he and Amanpour had been discussing the decision 'for some months,' adding: '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.'
Remember: always be truthful, not neutral.
Christiane Amanpour
What happens next
Neither Amanpour nor CNN has detailed what her 'new projects' will involve, and her exact departure date next year has not been specified. The announcement adds Amanpour's name to a wave of marquee anchor departures reshaping cable news as the industry grapples with shrinking linear audiences, leaving open the question of where television's best-known international correspondent will turn next.