Drew Griffin, an award-winning CNN investigative correspondent, died on Saturday after an extended fight with most cancers, the community introduced.
“Drew’s demise is a devastating loss to CNN and our complete career,” CNN CEO Chris Licht mentioned in a be aware to team of workers. “A extremely acclaimed investigative journalist, Drew’s paintings had unbelievable affect and embodied the project of this group in each and every means.”
“His paintings ethic used to be unprecedented,” Licht added. “He spent lengthy hours poring over paperwork and dealing the telephones. Whilst he battled most cancers, he refused to surrender at the reporting that used to be so essential to him and used to be even operating on an investigation till the day he gave up the ghost.”
Colleagues remembered the journalist as a beneficiant and type skilled who cared deeply about his staff and used to be all the time keen to mentor more youthful newshounds, in step with CNN. He reportedly stored his most cancers fight non-public from maximum of his colleagues.
Griffin labored for almost twenty years on CNN’s investigative staff. Amongst his rankings of impactful investigations have been his deep dives into the top collection of sexual attack allegations towards Uber drivers, fraud claims towards Trump College, and fiscal misconduct in California’s state drug rehab program.
The veteran journalist additionally made memorable forays into breaking information protection. He used to be at the floor in New York following the 9/11 terrorist assaults. In 2017, whilst reporting on Typhoon Harvey, he rescued a person from a sinking pickup truck continue to exist air.
His reporting landed a lot of prestigious journalism prizes, together with Emmy Awards, a Peabody Award, and an Edward R. Murrow award.
In an on-air look-back on Griffin’s occupation, CNN’s Anderson Cooper highlighted one of the vital journalist’s dogged reporting throughout industry, politics, atmosphere and extra, and the real-world trade his paintings affected.
“His interviews have been unwavering, and he gave a voice to people who didn’t have one.” Cooper mentioned. “Drew used to be a proficient storyteller devoted to in search of the reality and maintaining the tough responsible.”
“Drew received maximum of journalism’s large awards, however that’s no longer what motivated him. He cared about other folks and the way they have been impacted.”
Griffin were given his get started in journalism as a cameraman and reporter at WICD in Champaign, Illinois, close to his homeland of Chicago.
He labored at TV stations in Illinois, Florida, South Carolina, North Carolina and Washington ahead of transferring in 1994 to CBS 2 Information in Los Angeles, the place he helped discovered the station’s investigations staff. He joined CNN in 2004, transferring to Atlanta.
In his downtime, he cherished to trip along with his spouse, Margot, play the trumpet and golfing with pals, members of the family informed CNN. He had 3 kids: Ele Gast, Louis and Miles Griffin; and two grandchildren.