**BREAKING NEWS: SHARYN ALFONSI ANNOUNCES DEPARTURE FROM CBS NEWS AFTER TWO DECADES**
**WHO:** Sharyn Alfonsi, veteran correspondent for *60 Minutes* and CBS News.
**WHAT:** Alfonsi has formally announced her resignation from CBS News, effective immediately following a notable 20-year tenure with the network. Sources confirm she is leaving to explore opportunities in independent documentary production.
**WHERE:** The announcement was made through an internal memo circulated to CBS News staff in New York, with her final broadcast credited to the network’s New York City bureau.
**WHEN:** The statement was released earlier today, with Alfonsi’s departure effective as of the close of business.
**WHY:** According to the memo, Alfonsi cited a desire for "new creative latitudes" and a transition to long-form, independent storytelling as the primary reasons for her exit. Her departure follows a period of significant structural changes within the CBS News division.
**HOW:** Alfonsi, who has been a key contributor to *60 Minutes* covering high-profile investigations including the U.S. withdrawal from Afghanistan and the Boeing 737 Max crisis, will now focus on producing her own documentary projects, allowing for expanded editorial control.
**BACKGROUND:** Alfonsi joined CBS News in 2004 and was named a *60 Minutes* correspondent in 2015. She has earned multiple Emmy and Peabody Awards for her reporting. Network representatives have praised her contributions and have stated they will not immediately name a replacement, instead reassigning duties among existing correspondents.