Drew Griffin
Griffin in 2015
Born
Andrew Charles Griffin

(1962-10-21)October 21, 1962
Chicago, Illinois, U.S.
DiedDecember 17, 2022(2022-12-17) (aged 60)
Georgia, U.S.
Alma materUniversity of Illinois Urbana-Champaign (BA)
OccupationJournalist
Employers
SpouseMargot Griffin
Children3

Andrew Charles Griffin (October 21, 1962 – December 17, 2022) was an American journalist. He won several Emmy Awards and Peabody Awards for his work at CNN, notably for the coverage of Hurricane Katrina in 2005 and an investigation that led to the Veterans Health Administration controversy of 2014.

Early life and education

Griffin was born on October 21, 1962[1] to Michael and Judith Griffin, who worked as a civil engineer and lawyer, respectively.

Griffin was educated at Evergreen Park Community High School,[2] a public high school in the village of Evergreen Park, Illinois, followed by the University of Illinois Urbana-Champaign, where he majored in communications.[3]

Career

Griffin began his career at WICD-TV in Illinois, before stints in Florida, North Carolina, South Carolina, and Washington, D.C.[3][4] He then worked as an investigative reporter for ten years at CBS 2 News in Los Angeles.[4] He joined CNN in May 2004.[5]

In September 2005, Griffin covered the aftermath of Hurricane Katrina in New Orleans. Griffin's reports on the looting by some police officers prompted police investigations. He also broke stories about nursing home deaths after Katrina.[5] Griffin, along with CNN, won a Peabody award for his Hurricane Katrina coverage.[6]

In 2014, Griffin covered an investigation into delays in medical care at the Veterans Health Administration health system, which resulted in at least 19 patient deaths. VA Secretary Eric Shinseki eventually resigned following coverage of the scandal.[7] A few years later, Griffin covered sexual assault cases involving drivers for the ridesharing company, Uber.[8]

Among his last notable works was the coverage of events following the January 6 United States Capitol attack in 2021.[9]

Awards

Griffin won a business and financial reporting Emmy Award in 2005 for his reports on a fault in Ford Motor Company vehicles which caused them to catch fire.[10] He earned his second Emmy in 2006 for How to Rob a Bank, a documentary for CNN Presents, and a third in 2007 for Hidden Spending, a report on congressional spending broadcast as a segment in Anderson Cooper 360°.[5][10] Crisis at the VA, which broke the story on scandals of hidden wait times and deaths at VA hospitals across the country, garnered a Peabody award in 2015.[11] His fourth Emmy, in 2017, was awarded for Trump University Fraud, about fraudulent practices behind Donald Trump's real estate school.[12]

Personal life and death

Griffin was a native of Chicago, Illinois.[3] He and his wife, Margot, had three children.[4] He lived in the Atlanta metropolitan area, and died from cancer at home on December 17, 2022, at age 60.[13][3]

References

  1. ^ Masih, Niha (December 20, 2022). "Drew Griffin, acclaimed CNN investigative journalist, dies at 60". The Washington Post. Retrieved December 22, 2022.
  2. ^ "Drew Griffin". Evergreen Park Community High School. December 22, 2022. Retrieved January 13, 2023.
  3. ^ a b c d Jiménez, Jesus (December 19, 2022). "Drew Griffin, CNN Investigative Journalist, Dies at 60". The New York Times. Retrieved December 19, 2022.
  4. ^ a b c Evans, Greg (December 19, 2022). "Drew Griffin Dies: CNN Investigative Correspondent Was 60". Deadline Hollywood. Retrieved December 19, 2022.
  5. ^ a b c "Drew Griffin". CNN. Retrieved May 5, 2008.
  6. ^ "CNN: Coverage of Hurricane Katrina". The Peabody Awards. Retrieved December 19, 2022.
  7. ^ Keilar, Brianna (December 21, 2022). "Uncovering the Veterans Affairs scandal, CNN's Drew Griffin helped ordinary people find the courage to right wrongs". MSN. Retrieved December 24, 2022.
  8. ^ Griffin, Drew; O'Brien, Sara Ashley; Black, Nelli; Devine, Curt (April 30, 2018). "CNN investigation: 103 Uber drivers accused of sexual assault or abuse". CNN Business. Retrieved December 24, 2022.
  9. ^ Ushe, Naledi (December 19, 2022). "Drew Griffin, CNN investigative journalist, dies at 60 from cancer: 'Fearless and artful'". USA Today. Yahoo! News.
  10. ^ a b "Drew Griffin". National Press Foundation. Retrieved December 19, 2022.
  11. ^ "CNN Investigative Reports: Crisis at the VA". The Peabody Awards. Retrieved December 19, 2022.
  12. ^ "Drew Griffin, veteran CNN investigative journalist, has died at age 60". News 3 WTKR Norfolk. December 19, 2022. Retrieved December 19, 2022.
  13. ^ Jafari, Samira; Lait, Matt (December 19, 2022). "Veteran CNN investigative journalist Drew Griffin dead at 60". CNN. Retrieved December 19, 2022.

External links

CNN personnel
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