The CNN cable TV network's senior anchor was Young Miss Augusta 1963. She was born in 1946, moved to Augusta with her military father when she was 12 and graduated from the Academy of Richmond County. She earned a political science degree from Duke University in 1968.

She joined the CNN cable news network in 1993 and is CNN's prime anchor and senior correspondent. She also co-anchors CNN's special coverage of such events as political conventions and summits. She moderated the Republican presidential town hall meeting at Dartmouth College in October 1999.

Prior to joining CNN, she was the chief Washington, D.C., correspondent for NBC's Today show; the White House correspondent for NBC News from 1977-1982 covering the Carter and Reagan administrations; the Washington correspondent for The MacNeil/Lehrer NewsHour and also anchored public television's award-winning weekly documentary series Frontline with Judy Woodruff.

In September 1995, she traveled to Beijing, China, to cover the U.N. World Conference on Women. She moderated CNN's first two "Global Forums," international town meetings with President Bill Clinton in 1994 and former President Jimmy Carter in 1995. She also co-anchored CNN's coverage of President Richard Nixon's funeral.