Journalist Lisa Ling joins CBS News as contributor after 9 years at CNN
Former “The View” co-host Lisa Ling has landed at CBS News after being let go by CNN, the Tiffany Network said Wednesday.
Ling, 49, who will join CBS News this summer and be based in Los Angeles, will focus on in-depth stories for shows including “CBS Sunday Morning,” the network said.
“Lisa delivers some of the most authentic, human and revealing interviews because of how she embeds with communities and the people she covers,” CBS News co-president Neeraj Khemlani said.
“It gives her and us a chance to communicate the pulse of the country and the world in a more experiential way.”
The veteran journalist spent nine years at CNN, most recently as host and executive producer of “This Life with Lisa Ling,” which explored issues like interracial families, sex trafficking and artificial intelligence.
But the show and Ling’s stint at CNN were axed last November under new network boss Chris Licht, who was tasked with broad-based cuts to the budget.
“I can’t think of a better home for my style of reporting than CBS News, given its tradition of exceptional news gathering and thoughtful storytelling,” Ling said.
Ling’s sister, fellow journalist Laura Ling, gained national prominence when she was arrested along with Eugenie Lee while reporting in North Korea in 2009.
Lisa Ling, who was a special correspondent for Oprah Winfrey’s OWN at the time, publicized her plight, leading to the two journalists being freed the following year after high-level negotiations between the Clinton administration and Kim Jung Il.
Ling is the latest outside hire at CBS News, which has added a handful of on-air talent despite tightening its budget under Khemlani.
Recently, the network added former NBC News personality Natalie Morales, who has appeared on “48 Hours” and “CBS Mornings” in addition to co-hosting “The Talk.” It also nabbed onetime ABC News anchor Cecilia Vega, who became the first Latina correspondent on the long-running newsmagazine “60 Minutes.”
CBS News also hired former Washington Post correspondent Robert Costa, veteran Capitol Hill reporter Scott MacFarlane and CBS Sports personality Nate Burleson to co-host “CBS Mornings” alongside Gayle King and Tony Dokoupil.
Ling worked for a syndicated news show as a teen before being hired as an anchor at just 18 for Channel One News, which sent her to war zones in Afghanistan and Iraq.
She landed on “The View” from 1999 to 2002, replacing original anchor Debbie Matenopoulos, and has worked for ABC’s “Nightline,” National Geographic’s “Ultimate Explorer” and headlined the HBO Max documentary series “Take Out,” focusing on Asian American history and cuisine.