Longtime television news journalist Lisa Ling has been named a CBS News contributor, the network announced Wednesday morning.
Ling will contribute her reporting and feature pieces across CBS News broadcasts and platforms. She’ll debut on CBS News later this summer, and will continue to be based in Los Angeles.
“Lisa delivers some of the most authentic, human and revealing interviews because of how she embeds with communities and the people she covers. It gives her and us a chance to communicate the pulse of the country and the world in a more experiential way,” CBS News president and co-head Neeraj Khemlani said in a statement. “From war coverage at Channel One News to the anchor table at The View to numerous cable series that showcase her immersive journalism, Lisa Ling is a multi-talented reporter and storyteller that we are thrilled to add to our roster of world-class Network talent.”
Ling added, “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. I’m honored to be working with this venerable organization to tell the stories of people behind the headlines whose voices need to be heard.”
Ling’s most recent work was as host of the six-part HBO Max documentary series Take Out, where she explored Asian American history and cuisine.
She was well-known in recent years as host and executive producer of the critically-acclaimed CNN Original Series, This Is Life, which concluded last December after a nine-season run on the cable news network. This Is Life launched in 2014 on CNN, and followed Ling’s travels across the country as she introduced viewers to “sub-cultures and communities that are unusual, extraordinary and sometimes dangerous … often unknown or misunderstood.” She took viewers inside such issues as interracial families, sex trafficking, the alcohol epidemic, motorcycle gangs, religion, the impact of AI on relationships, and gun violence.
Produced by Part2 Pictures for CNN, This Is Life became a casualty of CNN’s recently-announced policy that it’s no longer commissioning CNN Original Series and Films from third-party content creators. According to CNN CEO Chris Licht, CNN’s change in strategy, which took effect tis past fall, is due “the ever-increasing cost of commissioning third-party premium content.”
Before CNN, Ling spent six years as the executive producer and host of Our America for Oprah Winfrey’s OWN, where she reported from dozens of countries on such topics as rape in the Congo and the Lord’s Resistance Army in Uganda. She also covered a variety of stories around the world as the host of National Geographic Ultimate Explorer.
Previously, Ling was a co-host on ABC’s The View for three years and contributed to ABC’s Nightline.
Some big news of our own: Award-winning journalist @lisaling is joining CBS News and will make her debut later this summer. https://t.co/zHoe1qnw3v pic.twitter.com/deLTJWYtcn
— CBS Mornings (@CBSMornings) May 31, 2023