Lynda Kinkade is an anchor for CNN International, based at the network’s global headquarters in Atlanta. She anchors CNN Newsroom with Lynda Kinkade throughout the week and regularly guest anchors other CNNI programs including Connect the World, The Brief, and One World.

Since joining CNN in 2014, Kinkade has anchored live coverage of many of the world’s most significant stories including the Israel-Hamas war, the Russian invasion of Ukraine, widespread protests from Hong Kong to Chile and major terror attacks across Europe, Africa, and the Middle East. Her reporting has also delved deeply into US politics from the second Trump administration to Russian interference in the 2016 election and the resulting impeachment inquiry.

She was on air during the liberation of the Iraqi city of Mosul – where ISIS leader Abu Bakr al-Baghdadi had declared the so-called caliphate – and part of the network’s coverage that would later be recognized with a 2018 News and Documentary Emmy Award. Following the 2015 Paris terror attacks, Kinkade anchored CNN’s global breaking news coverage across both international and U.S. platforms, contributing to the network’s Royal Television Society Award for Best Breaking News Coverage.

For the past three years, Kinkade has co-anchored CNN’s global New Year’s Eve Live show, delivering exclusive interviews with global figures including 17-time Grammy winner Sting, Italian tenor Andrea Bocelli, entrepreneur Paris Hilton, Oscar-winning actress Geena Davis, and Men at Work frontman Colin Hay. In 2024 she opened CNN’s broadcast live from Sydney – one of the first major cities to welcome the new year – reporting from iconic locations including the Sydney Harbour Bridge and Luna Park.

Following the 2015 Paris terror attacks, Kinkade anchored CNN’s global breaking news coverage across both international and U.S. platforms, contributing to the network’s Royal Television Society Award for Best Breaking News Coverage. She was also on air during the liberation of the Iraqi city of Mosul – where ISIS leader Abu Bakr al-Baghdadi had declared the so-called caliphate – and part of the network’s coverage that would later be recognized with a News and Documentary Emmy Award.

In 2017 she filed an investigation into the U.S. opioid crisis, which became one of the most-viewed stories on CNN.com. She was also part of the network’s Emmy-nominated coverage of the 2017 Manchester concert bombing and conducted an exclusive interview with Muhammad Ali’s twin daughters following his death in 2016.

Kinkade also plays a central role in The CNN Freedom Project, the network’s award-winning initiative to combat modern-day slavery. She has reported live from classrooms during #MyFreedomDay and from the U.S. State Department during the release of its annual Trafficking in Persons Report.

Before joining CNN, Kinkade worked for Seven Network Australia, most recently as a U.S. correspondent based in New York, where she produced and reported on stories including the polar vortex, the Harlem gas explosion, and Boeing’s first space taxi launch. Prior to that, she spent five years in Melbourne reporting for the national current affairs program Today Tonight, covering major events such as the Black Saturday bushfires, the Australian Open, and the G’Day USA campaign in California.

Earlier in her career, Kinkade worked at Nine Network Australia in Sydney, where she progressed from the assignment desk to the anchor desk and into field reporting. She has interviewed a wide range of political and cultural leaders, including former Australian Prime Ministers John Howard, Kevin Rudd, and Julia Gillard, as well as international icons such as Russell Crowe, Cate Blanchett, John Travolta, Sylvester Stallone, and former U.S. Vice President Al Gore.

She earned a Bachelor of Arts in Communication (Journalism) from the University of Technology Sydney, where she graduated with distinction.