CBS News Names Margaret Brennan As New FTN Host

Margaret Brennan

Margaret Brennan, the senior foreign affairs correspondent for CBS News, will be the next moderator of “Face the Nation,” the network’s prestige Sunday morning public affairs show and one of the most influential venues in American politics.

The NYTimes reports her new role, announced by CBS on Thursday, makes Ms. Brennan, 37, the only woman currently serving as a solo anchor of a major Sunday political affairs show. She succeeds John Dickerson, who left “Face the Nation” in January after less than three years to replace Charlie Rose on “CBS This Morning.”

Along with mainstays like NBC’s “Meet the Press” and ABC’s “This Week,” “Face the Nation” features interviews with prominent lawmakers and White House officials that often make news, and can forge Washington’s political agenda for the week ahead.

For decades, the hosts of these shows have primarily been men.

Ms. Brennan, whose debut is set for Sunday, joined CBS News in 2012 after a decade in financial journalism, working as an anchor and correspondent at Bloomberg Television and CNBC. She said in an interview on Thursday that she hoped “Face the Nation” would offer a dose of civility in a highly charged political moment.

“Sometimes it’s overwhelming for viewers, because there is such an unrelenting news cycle right now,” Ms. Brennan said. “This is a place where we need to have some perspective, have a civil conversation and take a step back.”