The following excerpt was sent out from The Los Angeles Times:
Lisa Ling, whose long-running CNN series became a cost-cutting casualty, is joining CBS News.
The network news division announced Wednesday that Ling will become a contributor starting in late summer, focusing on in-depth stories for its programs, including “CBS Sunday Morning.”
Ling, 49, is a veteran journalist whose documentary series “This Is Life” ran for nine seasons on CNN and is still available on Max, the streaming service owned by the news channel’s parent Warner Bros. Discovery. The program was canceled in November 2022 as part of cost-saving measures implemented by CNN Chairman Chris Licht.
“I was disappointed, but I also felt so proud of the nine seasons that we were able to produce there,” Ling said in an interview. “You can look back even from Season 1, and all of those episodes are as relevant and watchable.”
“I think the thing that they like about my style is that it is experiential and really human-driven,” Ling said. “During these times, when there’s just so much vitriolic partisanship and algorithms are thinking for us, the need for human-driven reporting is more important than ever.”
Ling is the latest outside hire at CBS News, which, despite tightening budgets, has added to its roster of on-air talent since Neeraj Khemlani was named co-head of CBS News and Stations in April 2021.