Kristie Lu Stout is an award-winning anchor and correspondent for CNN, based in Hong Kong.

She reports from the newsroom and in the field on major news stories including US-China relations, the rise of AI, and the aftermath of extreme climate events in the region.

She also hosts feature programs for CNN including Tech For Good, a series on the transformative power of technology, and Marketplace Asia, CNN’s monthly business program.

Based in China for over two decades, Lu Stout maintains a focus on how developments in China are dramatically changing the world for all of us. From anchoring CNN’s groundbreaking Eye on China series in 2004 to covering fresh tensions under the Biden administration, Lu Stout has remained committed to reporting on the country. She was also instrumental in launching On China, CNN’s first-ever regular series focused on the country – a first by any international TV news network.

Lu Stout also plays an active role in promoting the CNN Freedom Project, the network’s award-winning initiative focused on reporting stories of modern-day slavery, including student outreach in Hong Kong and across Asia as part of #MyFreedomDay. She is also proud to be part of CNN’s Call to Earth Day – a global initiative to engage students on the need for urgent action against climate change and pollution.

Since 2022, Lu Stout has anchored CNN’s New Year’s Eve Live special from Asia with special appearances from K-pop supergroup NCT-127, “King of Mandopop” Jay Chou and Malaysian comic Uncle Roger among many other top performers from across the region.
Starting in Asia, CNN’s New Years Eve Live! follows the sunset as celebrations peak in major cities around the world. During the 2024 New Year’s Eve special, CNN saw its highest performing day on the CNN Max app since the 24/7 live stream became available.

Over the years, her work has been nominated for multiple categories at the News and Documentary Emmy Awards. In 2020, she and her CNN Hong Kong colleagues were awarded Best Continuing News Reporting for TV and Video by the Association for International Broadcasting for team coverage of the 2019 Hong Kong Protests. In 2018, Lu Stout was awarded Best News or Current Affairs Presenter at the Asian Academy Creative Awards, while the news program she conceived and launched in 2010 – News Stream – was awarded Best News Program. Other accolades include multiple honors from the Asia Television Awards and Best News Coverage from the Royal Television Society for coverage of Super Typhoon Haiyan in the Philippines.

Lu Stout started her career in journalism in San Francisco at WIRED magazine’s online division. She has written on technology for various media publications including the South China Morning Post, where she founded and wrote the Beijing Byte column. Before her career in journalism, she was an early employee at Beijing-based Internet company Sohu.com and worked for Reuters’ new media team in China.

A proud Asian American, Lu Stout is an Asian American Journalists Association (AAJA) lifetime member and mentor. As a Correspondent Board Governor at the Foreign Correspondents’ Club, Lu Stout helps organize impactful discussions, documentary screenings, and award-winning photo exhibitions. She also enjoys coaching students and early-career journalists through CNN Academy, the Stanford Alumni Association and the Asian American Journalists Association.

She holds a bachelor’s and a master’s degree from Stanford University and studied advanced Mandarin Chinese at Beijing’s Tsinghua University.