About

Leone Lakhani is a journalist with extensive experience, writing, reporting, and producing stories across television and digital media, mainly at CNN International and BBC World.

She caught the journalism bug in her final year of college. Between classes, she wrote for local magazines to see if she truly liked “the craft.” Soon, she mastered another craft—brewing an exemplary cup of coffee for her editorial bosses—while spending weekends learning the fine art of stuffing envelopes. Many cups of coffee later, she found her way into broadcast television, starting at BBC World before moving to CNN International.

As a Senior Producer she covered world events like the Israel-Lebanon War from Gaza, the mammoth task of the Hajj in Saudi Arabia and the assassination of Benazir Bhutto.

As a CNN correspondent, she has extensive experience in the Middle East covering the top news and business stories: everything from the Arab Spring and the death of Osama Bin Laden to OPEC and nuclear energy in the Gulf. She also reports for TRT World on the U.S. response to stories like the Israel-Gaza War and Ukraine.

With an avid interest in art, culture and sports, she has interviewed the likes of Tom Cruise on Mission Impossible IV, John Travolta about his love of flying, and stars like Kobe Bryant and Roger Federer. She also hosted the monthly culture show CNN Inside the Middle East.

In addition to television, Leone has created and hosted digital content, including podcasts for The Cipher Brief, a national security platform. She has interviewed notable figures like David Miliband, Amb Dennis Ross and John Nixon, the first CIA analyst to interrogate Saddam Hussein.

Now based mainly in Washington, D.C., Leone covers U.S. politics and current affairs, including elections, the COVID-19 response, and BLM protests. She also moderates panels and contributes to various media platforms, including Matter of Fact, Hearst Media’s nationally syndicated weekly TV show hosted by Soledad O’Brien.

Leone has the rare ability to tell great stories from start to finish; from building a vision, shaping a narrative, and producing compelling content across multimedia platforms.