Brittany Shammas is joining CNN’s national news team. CNN will rely on Brittany Shammas to strengthen its original domestic reporting.
What We Know: CNN announced Shammas has joined the network as a reporter focused on the national news team. She’ll produce original reporting, narrative storytelling, and accountability journalism designed to give digital audiences deeper context beyond breaking headlines. Based in Washington, D.C., Shammas will cover the people, places, and issues shaping major domestic news. Previously, she spent seven years at The Washington Post, where she most recently worked as a local enterprise reporter covering accountability and narrative stories in the Washington region. Earlier, she reported on national breaking news, covering events ranging from natural disasters and mass shootings to the lasting effects of the COVID-19 pandemic.
What’s At Stake: The hire reflects CNN’s continued emphasis on distinctive enterprise journalism as competition for digital news audiences intensifies. Rather than chasing headlines alone, the network wants reporters who can deliver exclusive angles, in-depth narratives, and accountability reporting that keeps readers engaged longer. As a result, Shammas’ experience aligns with that strategy.
What Remains Unclear: CNN hasn’t detailed when Shammas’ reporting will begin appearing across its platforms or identified the specific beats she’ll cover. The network also hasn’t said whether her role will include regular on-air reporting in addition to digital storytelling.
What It Means: Shammas brings experience from national breaking news, local enterprise reporting and investigative journalism. Before joining The Washington Post in 2019, she spent eight years covering education and public safety in Florida, including reporting for the Naples Daily News, South Florida Sun Sentinel, and Miami New Times. Her investigative work examining deaths linked to a for-profit correctional healthcare company earned a Sigma Delta Chi Award. That background gives CNN another reporter with experience uncovering complex stories and translating them into compelling journalism for a national audience.
Barrett Media produces daily content on the music, news, and sports media industries. Sign up for our newsletters to stay updated and get the latest information right in your inbox.
Garrett Searight is Barrett Media’s News Editor, which includes writing daily news stories, features, and opinion columns. He joined Barrett Media in 2022 after a decade leading several radio brands in several formats, as well as a 5-year stint working in local television. In addition to his work with Barrett Media, he is a radio and TV play-by-play broadcaster. Reach out to him at Garrett@BarrettMedia.com.