text: In this role, Kagan reported on presidential and mid-term elections. She reported on-site from the Middle East during the second Gulf War and the Washington, D.C. sniper attack investigation. Kagan traveled to Africa with musician Bono where she reported on AIDS and famine for all of the CNN networks. While in Africa, Kagan maintained a daily blog on CNN.com of her reports and experiences. Additionally, she reported several Academy Awards ceremonies and the Monterey Jazz Festival.
  Kagan is one of a handful of national news anchors who was on the air live during the terrorist attacks on the morning of September 11, 2001. She reported throughout the day and, in later days, covered the unfolding story from CNN headquarters in Atlanta and from the network's Washington, D.C. bureau.
  After CNN declined to renew her employment contract, Kagan left CNN on September 1, 2006, to launch a personal news website, DarynKagan.com, on November 13, 2006. The Boston Globe described Kagan's site as having "buck[ed] the media tide with an emphasis on stories that illustrate the triumph of the human spirit." In an interview with the Los Angeles Times, Kagan discussed her career, and said "I think it's really important to be informed. I just also think it's important to be inspired."