New Chapter for Noel King

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Mike Morgan/NPR

Mike Morgan/NPR

After nearly four years as host of Morning Edition and Up First, Noel King is leaving NPR, her last day on the air will be December 10. She joined NPR in 2016 as a correspondent at Planet Money, where her reporting centered on economic inequalities. She filed some of the podcast's most listened-to episodes, including a two-part series on Chile's violent transition from socialism to capitalism under University of Chicago-trained economists, an examination of what Georgetown University owes to the descendants of enslaved people who were sold to save the college from financial ruin, and an investigation into a massive Chinese conglomerate that mysteriously invested millions of dollars in her rural hometown. Noel has also served as a fill-in host for Weekend All Things Considered and 1A from NPR Member station WAMU.

Here's an excerpt from her note to NPR staff:

Journalists are wanderers by nature, (or at least this one is,) so I don't believe in long goodbyes. I'm certain I'll see most of you again soon...

..As a restless person I never thought I'd spend six years anywhere. My longevity here is attributable to all of the creative, funny, talented people who make this organization, and very specifically to Kenya Young and Alex Goldmark. Thank you to them, and all.

And here's what VP for News Programming Sarah Gilbert and NPR EVP for News and Editorial Director Nancy Barnes said in their note:

Noel has hosted Morning Edition and Up First with acuity and grace for nearly four years. During her time in the chair, she has delighted and challenged audiences with a diverse array of stories – from her remarkable coverage of the refugee crisis from the border, to her incisive interviews with Janet Yellen, her thoughtful stories taking in a range of voices on racial justice – and who could forget her wonderful interview with Amythyst Kiah.