From Lester Holt to Norah O’Donnell, Why Are Anchors Leaving the News Desk?

Lester Holt’s decision to step down as anchor of NBC Nightly News marks yet another high-profile departure in an era of shifting television news landscapes. His exit comes at a time when the industry is struggling to retain influence in a fragmented media environment.

Holt, widely respected for his steady presence during breaking news coverage, announced that he will now focus his efforts on Dateline NBC. While his move allows him to dedicate more time to long-form journalism, it also underscores a larger trend. Holt follows Chuck Todd, who left NBC News after stepping away from Meet the Press in 2023; Hoda Kotb, who departed Today in January; and Norah O’Donnell, whose tenure at CBS Evening News ended last month. Meanwhile, MSNBC has undergone its own shakeup, parting ways with weeknight anchors Joy Reid and Alex Wagner.

The decline of traditional TV news—accelerated by the rise of digital media and a political climate increasingly hostile toward the press—means that each new anchor struggles to command the same authority as their predecessors. Holt spent a decade behind the Nightly News desk, building trust with audiences. Whoever replaces him will face an uphill battle, not just in proving their credibility but also in winning over a viewership conditioned by years of skepticism toward mainstream media.

Holt, Todd, Kotb, and O’Donnell all built their careers before the Trump era, allowing them to establish credibility before distrust in the press became so deeply ingrained. Their successors won’t have that luxury. They will have to establish their reputations in an environment where audiences are more distracted and distrustful than ever. Craig Melvin, who has stepped into Kotb’s role on Today, is already familiar to viewers, but breaking through as a singular, trusted voice in today’s chaotic news cycle will be no small task.

For veteran journalists like Holt and O’Donnell, the appeal of stepping away from the relentless daily news grind is understandable. O’Donnell, now a senior correspondent, has the flexibility to pursue major stories across CBS platforms, much like Holt can focus on in-depth reporting for Dateline. Meanwhile, CBS has signaled its own shift in priorities by replacing O’Donnell not with a single anchor but with co-anchors Maurice DuBois and John Dickerson, emphasizing field reporting over a traditional news desk presence.

It’s tempting to reflect nostalgically on the days when Walter Cronkite’s broadcasts shaped national discourse. But in today’s fragmented media landscape, not only is there no unifying Cronkite-like figure—those who come close are stepping away. Television news has long been in decline, but the pace of that decline now feels more rapid and destabilizing. As anchors leave the stage, the larger question remains: where does that leave the audience—and an electorate increasingly disconnected from fact?