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Drew Griffin, CNN’s acclaimed Senior Investigative Reporter, understood for getting back at the cagiest of interview topics to engage in a story, passed away Saturday after a long fight with cancer, his family stated. He was60
A talented writer, Griffin had a well-earned credibility for holding effective people and organizations liable.
“Drew’s death is a destructive loss to CNN and our whole occupation,” CNN CEO Chris Licht stated in a noteto staff “An extremely well-known investigative journalist, Drew’s work had unbelievable effect and embodied the objective of this company in every method.”.
Griffin worked on hundreds of stories and several documentaries over the course of almost twenty years on CNN’s investigative group. His reporting had actually been honored with some of journalism’s most distinguished awards– Emmys, Peabodys, and Murrows amongst them.
” However people mattered more to Drew than rewards,” Licht stated.
Griffin had an exceptionally strong work principles, associates stated. He kept his illness personal from a lot of of his colleagues and had actually been reporting up till the day he passed.
Michael Bass, CNN’s Executive Vice President of Programming, likewise shared his appreciation for Griffin in a note to the investigative group Sunday.
” Brave and artistic at the very same time, he understood how to press a story forward to its limitations, however likewise inform it in a manner in which would make everybody comprehend,” Bass stated. “The number of times has he chased after an reluctant interviewee? The number of times has he spoken fact to power? The number of times has he made a distinction on something crucial … It was an honor to be his associate and to be witness to his work and the methods it altered the world.”.
Griffin’s reporting had considerable effect and triggered modification.
He led a yearlong examination that discovered hold-ups in medical care that contributed to patient deaths at Department of Veterans Affairs hospitals across the country. The group’s reporting led to the resignation of the VA secretary, which was followed by the passage of federal legislation and a basic modification in how veterans’ consultations are managed.
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In the middle of his reporting into the high number of sexual attacks accusations versus Uber chauffeurs, the business altered its background check process and presented brand-new security functions in its app. Following the CNN examination, Uber revealed it would do away with a policy that formerly required people with sexual attack problems into arbitration and made them sign non-disclosure contracts.
Patricia DiCarlo, Executive Manufacturer of CNN’s investigative system who worked along with Griffin for almost a years stated Griffin was an extraordinary author who crafted pieces into “engaging, must-see television stories.”.
” You understand when a Drew Griffin story begins– it’s going to be terrific,” she stated. “His method with words set him apart.”.
Griffin’s solid approach towards the most difficult stories and his capability to get some of the most unwilling public figures to open and offer their side of the story highlighted his sense of fairness. Still, he never ever missed out on an chance to barbecues them with hardquestions
Griffin’s incisive, Emmy-award winning examination into scams claims versus Trump University in 2016 exposed the doubtful, economically draining pipes methods of a series of property workshops that resulted in class action claims by individuals. In an special interview, Griffin pushed a previous Trump University trainer about his function in the plan– not teaching property strategies, however tempting individuals into paying for more workshops: “We were bringing in the cash,” he informedGriffin
Trump University trainer: What I did was sales
When election denialism continued, Griffin worked to resolve the misconceptions of extensive election scams, facing one of the greatest names in false information: MyPillow CEO Mike Lindell. After evaluating the so-called proof, Griffin took a seat with Lindell for a prolonged interview to assess his claims and, eventually, set out the fact: Lindell had “evidence of absolutely nothing.”.
There were times, however, when Griffin, like all press reporters, might not get his topics to talk right now– resulting in remarkable on- video camera conflicts with federal government authorities, in specific.
When Griffin found out of the widespread scams in California’s state drug rehab program in 2013, he pushed the authorities in charge for responses. He lastly found the head of California’s Health and Human Provider Company, who attempted evading Griffin’s questions by running to a washroom, which was locked. Griffin’s examination resulted in a legal probe and a public apology from the director of theprogram
More just recently, Griffin’s body of work in the after-effects of the January 6, 2021, attack on the Capitol exposed the risks of election deniers and was pointed out in court filings by the Department of Justice and Home choose committee examining the insurrection.
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While investigative journalism was at the heart of Griffin’s work, he typically delved into breaking news coverage– from mass shootings to ravaging cyclones. Amongst his more remarkable on- air minutes was throughout Typhoon Harvey in 2017, when he saved a male by pulling him from a sinking pickup.
Griffin’s self-confidence, effort and doggedness spoke for itself on video camera, yet it was his graciousness and empathy that specified him behind the scenes. Couple Of in the audience would understand that after those compelling interviews, Griffin would typically craft hand-written thank you notes to those who appeared in a story. And, while extremely personal, Griffin took terrific care to finish up the huge stories– some of which swept him throughout the world– so he might get house and hang out with hisfamily
Coworkers kept in mind the veteran journalist as a kind, practiced professional who put in the time to coach more youthful press reporters, cared deeply about his group– and was constantly all set to assist.
DiCarlo compared her time working with Griffin to “winning the profession lottery game.”.
” There are so lots of people who worked with him and loved him– this is a destructive loss,” DiCarlo stated, showing on the group of manufacturers who carefully worked with Griffin on his stories. “There was nobody else like him. We were Group Drew.”.
A Chicago local, Griffin started his reporting profession as a reporter/cameraman for WICD-TV in Champaign, Illinois. He invested stints working for television stations in Florida, South Carolina, North Carolina and Washington. He ended up being an investigative press reporter when he signed up with KIRO-TV in Seattle. He signed up with CBS 2 News in Los Angeles in January 1994, where he worked as a press reporter and anchor and assisted produce the station’s investigative reporting group and won several regional awards.
When he wasn’t chasing his next scoop, family members stated he loved to travel with his other half Margot, play the trumpet or take pleasure in a round of golf with pals. He likewise doted over his 3 kids whose names were motivated by jazz greats– child, Ele Gast; boys, Louis and Miles Griffin– and 2 grandchildren.