Donie O’Sullivan is promoted to CNN Senior Correspondent, the network announced today. He has spent the past decade reporting on the spread of online misinformation, and now specializes in highlighting the effect conspiracy theories, extremism, and radicalization have on politics, culture, and society.
O’Sullivan received a 2024 Emmy nomination for “outstanding science and technology coverage” for his in-depth reporting on the effect social media platforms and conspiracy theories have on American families.
O’Sullivan will continue his reporting across all CNN platforms on the role misinformation is playing in the 2024 election, including new episodes of “MisinfoNation,” in-depth specials on the subject as part of The Whole Story with Anderson Cooper that will air this fall.
O’Sullivan’s distinctive reporting on election misinformation during the 2020 campaign led to him reporting live from the grounds of the US Capitol while it was under attack on January 6, 2021.
He works across multiple teams at CNN, including with the network’s documentary unit, where he has produced numerous specials examining the role conspiracy theories play in modern American life.
O’Sullivan first joined the network in 2016 as a producer for CNN’s Social Discovery team, where he specialized in open-source intelligence (OSINT) – finding and verifying social media material from breaking news events around the world.
He went on to become a technology reporter with CNN Business where he focused on how social media companies handled misinformation, hate, and extremism on their platforms.
Over the years, he has worked closely with CNN’s investigative unit tracking and identifying online disinformation campaigns targeting the American electorate, and has reported on how social media platforms, Congress, and the American intelligence community are responding to the threat of disinformation and troll campaigns.
O’Sullivan was also part of the CNN reporting team that uncovered several major Russian government-linked social media campaigns targeting Americans in the run-up to the 2016 US presidential election. His work was later used by Congress investigators and others examining the extent of Russian meddling ahead of the election.
O’Sullivan has been a prominent speaker at numerous national and international conferences, including the Council on Foreign Relations, the Aspen Institute and at a number of cyber security events including DEF CON and the RSA Conference.
