Veteran journalist Norah O’Donnell recently left CBS Evening News for the final time after 12 years with the network. O’Donnell had held her anchor position on the program since 2019, describing the past five and a half years as the “honor of a lifetime.” Reportedly, O’Donnell will pursue other roles in journalism amid CBS’s viewership struggles.
Signing off for the final time, she said, “This has been the honor of a lifetime to anchor this legacy broadcast. The CBS Evening News, for good reason, is the longest-running evening newscast in America. And it is powered by the finest journalists in the world. The correspondents, producers, researchers and crews who work tirelessly to bring you the news every night.
She continued in her final message, “That won’t change because journalism matters. I know that because I’ve heard that from so many of you, our viewers. So from the bottom of my heart, thank you for trusting us and welcoming hard news with heart into your homes. I will miss you too, but I will see you on CBS News programs including Mornings, 60 Minutes, Sunday Morning, and in primetime. So for the final time, that’s tonight’s CBS Evening News. I owe it all to everyone I work with. Seriously. Love you. Good night.”
CBS Evening News wrote on X, “After five years in the anchor chair, @NorahODonnell signs off from the CBS Evening News tonight. Her reporting has not only made history, but also resonated deeply with viewers across the nation. This isn’t goodbye — Norah will remain a vital part of the CBS News family as a senior correspondent. Join us as we look back at her extraordinary work.”
Alongside fellow anchor Margaret Brennan, O’Donnell co-moderated the vice presidential debate between Minnesota Governor Tim Walz and Vice President JD Vance last year. The debate drew controversy after both O’Donnell and Brennan snuck in fact-checks despite the network agreeing that they would not interject during the event.
After Vance was asked if he considered climate change a hoax, O’Donnell claimed “the overwhelming consensus among scientists is that the Earth’s climate is warming at an unprecedented rate.” Brennan also tried to fact-check Vance on the Haitian migrants in Springfield, Ohio, which became a focal point of the Trump campaign.
After Vance made a point about the situation in Springfield, Brennan stated, “Just to clarify for our viewers, Springfield, Ohio, does have a large number of Haitian migrants who have legal status, Temporary Protected Status.” However, the Ohio senator was not going to allow Brennan to have the last word. “But Margaret, the rules were that you guys weren’t going to fact-check, and since you’re fact-checking me, I think it’s important to say what’s actually going on,” Vance said.
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“So there’s an application called the CBP One app where you can go on as an illegal migrant, apply for asylum or apply for parole and be granted legal status at the wave of a Kamala Harris open border wand,” he explained. “That is not a person coming in applying for a green card and waiting for 10 years — ” he continued before being interrupted.
Watch Vance below:
Featured image credit: not stated, Public domain, via Wikimedia Commons, https://commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/File:Norah_O%E2%80%99Donnell_puttinghealthfirst-sp19.jpg