Zakka Jacob and Rahul Shivshankar get new roles at CNN-News18

Zakka Jacob and Rahul Shivshankar will commence their new roles from December 15

by e4m Staff
Published: Dec 12, 2025 6:34 PM | 1 min read

Zakka Jacob, Managing Editor at CNN-News18, has stepped down from his leadership role to take on a new assignment as Senior Anchor and Group Foreign Affairs Editor. Meanwhile, senior journalist Rahul Shivshankar will lead CNN News18 as its Editorial Affairs Director. Known for his prime-time show The Hard Facts at 9 pm, Shivshankar brings decades of newsroom experience and editorial leadership to the role.

Zakka and Rahul commence their new roles starting Monday.

An internal communication stated that Zakka wished to step back from managerial responsibilities and focus on his journalistic craft. He will transition to the role of Senior Anchor and Group Foreign Affairs Editor in the grade of Managing Editor, in which capacity he will host shows on multiple platforms besides CNN-NEWS18.

"The baton of leadership of CNN News18 will be passed on to Rahul Shivshankar, a journalistic veteran who is the host of the 9 pm show, The Hard Facts. He has a track record of having led many TV newsrooms with aplomb, and I am sure he’ll consolidate and expand CNN-News18’s leadership as its Editorial Affairs Director". Santosh Menon - Chief Content Officer, Network18, said.

Rahul is the archetypal journalist, a prolific columnist and a published author. All teams in CNN-News18, including input, output, production and off-platform, will report to him.