What We Know About Alisyn Camerota's Switch From Fox News To CNN

It's rare for major personalities to switch publications in the polarizing world of mainstream news media today. While many high-profile faces are let go or leave the place they made their name, most of them do their own thing on podcasts or small outlets. This isn't always the case, with Alisyn Camerota and Shepherd Smith both leaving Fox News for rival networks of opposing views.

Alisyn Camerota's departure from Fox News in 2014 was particularly shocking, but her success at CNN was not a surprise. Known for putting her journalistic integrity before politics, she became a respected name in the industry. This level of personal character was one of the main reasons she left Fox News, as her values drew the ire of the super-conservative management at the outlet. In an interview with CNN, Camerota told the network that "Roger Ailes ruled with an iron fist, and he wanted us all to fall in line and have his world view and say the things that he wanted us to say on Fox News."

Camerota spent sixteen years at Fox and gave several interviews about her time there after her departure. According to Camerota, she dealt with rampant partisanship, bullying, and instances of sexual harassment that all contributed to her decision to leave the network.

Camerota working for both Fox and CNN gives her a unique perspective in the mainstream media. Her ability to sniff out political bias in both directions is unmatched, but she feels much more comfortable in her new position. In an interview with The Daily Beast, she was asked if she still feels pushed to cover stories from a specific angle. "Oh, god no. It just isn't the case. Jeff Zucker is never telling me how I have to do a story or what questions I have to ask or what questions I have to not ask. Never."

In that same interview, Camerota discussed how doling out fact-based reporting makes her actually feel good about her job again and how it can make a real-world impact. Her role as a broadcast journalist and political commentator at CNN has been a major positive change. From the top management on down, she stated in an interview with The Hollywood Reporter that "It's just night and day. On every level, it is dramatically different." While her favorite new boss Jeff Zucker was forced out of the network, it remains a much better place for Alisyn Camerota.