Ex-CNN Star Ashleigh Banfield, Savannah Guthrie’s Former Coworker, Doubles Down on Her Reporting About Brother-in-Law

The former CNN news personality, Ashleigh Banfield, is facing criticism over an explosive claim she made about the mysterious disappearance of 84-year-old Nancy Guthrie — the mother of “Today” show star Savannah Guthrie — from her Tucson-area home. Earlier this week, Ms. Banfield – who worked at Court TV at the same time as Ms. Guthrie in the mid 2000s, prior to joining CNN – made the bombshell claim that law enforcement had identified Savannah Guthrie’s brother-in-law, Tommaso Cioni, as the “prime suspect” in the disappearance of their mother. She also reported that law enforcement had impounded a car belonging to Mr. Cioni and his wife, Annie Guthrie. The Pima County sheriff, Chris Nanos, has pushed back on that claim, telling reporters at a press conference that law enforcement does not have “anybody” listed as a suspect and that such reporting is “reckless.”Despite the pushback, Ms. Banfield — a longtime true crime reporter and cable television host — has stood by her reporting. A producer for Ms. Banfield, who earlier this month left her primetime hosting gig at the tiny cable news network NewsNation to help build the network’s true crime news vertical, told the Hollywood Reporter that the journalist has an “ironclad source.”A founding editor of Mediaite, Colby Hall, said Ms. Banfield’s comments were “irresponsible clickbait.”“Banfield did not retract her reporting. She defended it by arguing that police sometimes deny having suspects publicly while pursuing leads privately. That defense elevates intuition over verification and ignores the constraints of responsible reporting during an active search. Naming a person repeatedly while conceding uncertainty does not reduce harm. The suspicion remains,” he wrote. Some users on Reddit also criticized the former CNN star. One user on Reddit wrote, “She’s not doing anyone any favors (except herself) by breaking it first. Super irresponsible and it made me sick how she called Savannah her friend.”“She’s a sensationalist and now a huge YouTube click baiter, since she lost her show I guess. Sigh,” another person said. A commentator on X wrote, “I agree with the sheriff … I think @TVAshleigh is being incredibly reckless in her reporting in regard to this case.”The backlash may not be contained to merely online criticism, as a former editor of OK! Magazine, Rob Shuter, reported on Thursday that the Guthrie family is considering legal action against Ms. Banfield, despite her hedge that her reporting was based on “musings and not evidence.”A source close to the Guthrie family told Mr. Shuter, “You can’t float accusations like that and hide behind disclaimers.”“This dragged innocent people into a nightmare,” the source added. “Once police publicly pushed back, the family felt real harm had been done.”Mr. Shuter wrote, “No lawsuit has been filed—yet. But consultations are underway, and tensions are high. For the Guthrie family, the line has been crossed: speculation became accusation, and pain became public fodder.”Ms. Banfield’s career has had its share of ups and downs. Her star rose at MSNBC after the 9/11 terrorist attacks when she calmly reported from the scene as 7 World Trade Center collapsed behind her. She then covered war zones in the Middle East. Her rise at MSNBC was abruptly cut short. In 2002, MSNBC canceled her show due to a drop in ratings. However, Ms. Banfield said she thinks former “TODAY” show co-host Katie Couric sabotaged her career at MSNBC.Ms. Couric wrote in her memoir “Going There” that she refused to mentor Ms. Banfield because it would have been an act of “self-sabotage.”In 2021, Ms. Banfield told TMZ she thinks Ms. Couric contributed to her ouster because it occurred while she was seen as a star.“I had just gotten back from Afghanistan. I had a million viewers a night at 9 o’clock. I had been on Leno and Letterman and Carson Daly and ‘The Daily Show,’” she said. “Then with no warning or explanation, it was just all over. Everything disappeared. They canceled me … I’ve been going over the last 20 years of why my career just derailed so quickly with no explanation from NBC.”While Ms. Banfield has speculated about potential interference by Ms. Couric, she has also suggested that a speech she gave at Kansas State University — in which she urged reporters not to “wave the banner” and cover the Iraq War in a “jingoistic way” — contributed to her downfall. Years after her ouster, in 2005, she landed a job at CourtTV, where she overlapped with Ms. Guthrie, who worked as the national trial correspondent from 2004 to 2006. While law enforcement has pushed back on Ms. Banfield’s reporting, officials still say they have no suspects and are offering a $50,000 reward for information leading to Nancy Guthrie’s recovery. Officials say they believe she was abducted and is alive. The Guthrie family has made several pleas for the return of their mother and for the possible captor to make contact with them. Multiple media outlets reported receiving a ransom note demanding millions of dollars in bitcoin in exchange for her return.The note reportedly included two deadlines, one of which has already passed, and the other is on Monday. However, it did not include a way for the family to contact the captors. The FBI special agent in charge, Heith Janke, told reporters that the note included references to an Apple Watch belonging to Nancy Guthrie and a floodlight at her home. Mr. Janke also told reporters that there is no confirmation that the individual who sent the note is actually holding Nancy Guthrie. Ms. Banfield did not respond to the Sun’s request for comment by the time of publication.

Ex-CNN Star Ashleigh Banfield, Savannah Guthrie’s Former Coworker, Doubles Down on Her Reporting About Brother-in-Law

More from the New York Sun

Economical Horror Indie ‘The Arborist’ Outshines Ryan Coogler’s ‘Sinners,’ in Many Respects

After Outrage, Trump Deletes ‘Racist’ Meme Depicting the Obamas as Apes

‘Double Jeopardy by Any Common Definition’: Angry Luigi Mangione Speaks Out in Court After State Judge Sets June Date for First of Two Trials

More from the New York Sun

Economical Horror Indie ‘The Arborist’ Outshines Ryan Coogler’s ‘Sinners,’ in Many Respects

After Outrage, Trump Deletes ‘Racist’ Meme Depicting the Obamas as Apes

‘Double Jeopardy by Any Common Definition’: Angry Luigi Mangione Speaks Out in Court After State Judge Sets June Date for First of Two Trials

Epstein Disclosures Shake Europe, With Past or Present Chiefs of Nobel Committee and Davos Forum Targeted in Probes

Russian Strike Kills 13 Dogs at Shelter in Ukraine

China’s Party Boss Talks on Same Day With Trump and Putin

Hims & Hers in Hot Water Over Knockoff Version of Wegovy Weight Loss Pills

Louisiana Lawsuit Would Force New York and California To Extradite Doctors Accused of Shipping Abortion Pills