Ashleigh Banfield

Ashleigh Banfield is a television news anchor and crime journalist, currently anchoring the 11 a.m. edition of "CNN Newsroom" each weekday, and "Crime and Justice" Monday through Thursday from 6-8 pm. Banfield joined CNN in 2012 as a co-anchor of CNN's morning show "Early Start" with Ashleigh Banfield and Zoraida Sambolin. She has a well-established career in journalism, having covered breaking news from across the country and around the globe.

Previously, Banfield was a correspondent for ABC News, where she reported for "Good Morning America," "20/20," "World News" with Diane Sawyer, and "Nightline." She also hosted "Primetime Justice with Ashleigh Banfield" on HLN and "Legal View with Ashleigh Banfield" on CNN. Her reporting has spanned significant events such as the Boston Marathon bombing and the Sandy Hook Elementary School shooting, and high-profile trials including those of George Zimmerman, Jodi Arias, and Casey Anthony.

Banfield's early career includes work as a correspondent for NBC News from 2000-2004, where she reported for "The Today Show," "NBC Nightly News" with Tom Brokaw, and "Dateline." She gained significant recognition for her live coverage from Ground Zero during the September 11 attacks, which led to an Emmy Award nomination. This period marked the start of intensive reporting stints in conflict zones such as Pakistan, Afghanistan, and Iraq, earning her and her team a National Headliner Award. In addition to her television work, Banfield earned a bachelor's degree in political studies and French from Queen's University in Ontario, Canada, and completed a Journalism Law School fellowship at Loyola Law School in California in 2009.

Throughout her career, Banfield has been recognized with numerous awards including a Gracie Allen Award in 2008 for Outstanding Anchor and a Telly Award in 2007 for her coverage of the Rhode Island Nightclub Fire. Her notable interviews span a range of high-profile figures, from world leaders like Yasser Arafat and U.S. Presidents George W. Bush and Bill Clinton, to celebrities such as Martha Stewart.

Currently residing in Connecticut with her two sons, Banfield continues to be a prominent figure in news journalism, valued for her extensive experience and ability to cover complex legal and social issues.