Christiane Amanpour announced that she’s leaving CNN after 43 years. I had the privilege of doing a few interviews with her. Many of the journalists I dealt with over the years only knew as much about the topic we were discussing as a producer loaded into the prompter or placed in some interview notes. That was not the case with Christiane. She didn’t need notes because she was as well versed on the topics we discussed as I was. I always felt at the end of an interview with her that viewers got something of real substance out of it. As impressed as I was by her depth of knowledge and interviewing skills, I was also tremendously impressed by how kind and gracious she was. With most of the interviews I did, my interaction with the interviewer was maybe a quick hello in the five or ten seconds before we went live. When I did a face-to-face interview with Christiane at the CNN studio in New York, she came back to the green room where I was waiting and sat down to chat. And the chat wasn’t just about the topic we’d be discussing on-air, it was more personal. That made a lasting impression on me. I worry a lot about the state of the media today and the important role it plays (or should be playing) in a healthy democracy. My worry is even greater when someone as talented as @amanpour chooses to step away from the mic.