Veteran journalist Christiane Amanpour to leave CNN

There are plenty of signs from Amanpour’s time at CNN that might hint about her reluctance to leave her professional integrity to the whims of a guy who attended the state dinner Donald Trump had just banned CNN from covering. In 2023, Amanpour publicly condemned the network from hosting a televised town hall with then-candidate Trump, while her repeated motto, which she quotes in her farewell memo, has famously been, “Always be truthful, not neutral.”

From Amanpour’s memo:

From my very first big exciting assignment covering the First Gulf War, to the horrors of the Bosnian War, Rwanda, Afghanistan, Ukraine and Iran and all the points in between, it’s the teams and the camaraderie that counted so much, as we together battled to seek the facts, the evidence and the humanity, so that CNN could always broadcast the truth about the world and to the world, without fear nor favor.

I will be continuing my successful podcast the Ex-Files with Global and look forward to interesting new projects down the line, and will always be rooting for CNN and maintaining its history of independent journalism. Remember: always be truthful, not neutral.

Meanwhile, boss Mark Thompson’s own memo cites Amanpour as “our dear friend and colleague” while touting her as “one of the biggest stars in CNN history.” Thompson praises the 43-year veteran as being “trusted and beloved,” qualities CNN viewers hope will not walk out the door with Amanpour.