John Avlon Leaves Daily Beast To Join CNN Full-Time, Noah Shachtman Takes Over As Editor-In-Chief

John Avlon Leaves Daily Beast To Join CNN Full-Time, Noah Shachtman Takes Over As Editor-In-Chief

The Daily Beast announced on Thursday that editor-in-chief John Avlon will be moving to CNN full-time as a political analyst and anchor. In Avlon’s place, executive editor Noah Shachtman will take over on top.

In a statement on the move, CNN said that Avlon’s title will be Senior Political Analyst and he will have a daily presence on morning show New Day. He will also serve a role as a fill-in anchor while working closely with the network’s digital side.

Avlon served as the Beast’s EIC since 2013, succeeding site founder Tina Brown. He initially joined The Daily Beast in 2008 as a columnist and eventually moved up the editorial ranks before taking over for Brown.

“I’ve loved leading The Daily Beast newsroom, but after five years, it’s time for a new challenge,” Avlon said about the move. “I am looking forward to joining CNN full time and becoming part of such a great independent global news organization. This is the best time to be a journalist, and the work CNN does to put ‘facts first’ is more important than ever before. I am thrilled to have this opportunity.”

A number of current and former Beast employees took to Twitter to comment on Avlon’s departure and Shachtman taking charge.

Justin Baragona

Justin Baragona is the founder/publisher of Contemptor and a contributor to The Daily Beast. He was previously the Cable News Correspondent for Mediaite and prior to starting Contemptor, he worked on the editorial staff of PoliticusUSA. During that time, he had his work quoted by USA Today and BBC News, among others. Justin began his published career as a political writer for 411Mania. He resides in St. Louis, MO with his wife and pets.

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