Veteran CNN investigative journalist Drew Griffin dead at 60 - CNN

CNN  — 

Drew Griffin, CNN’s award-winning Senior Investigative Correspondent, known for getting adjacent the cagiest of interrogation subjects to prosecute successful a story, died Saturday aft a agelong conflict with cancer, his household said. He was 60.

A talented storyteller, Griffin had a well-earned estimation for holding almighty radical and institutions accountable.

“Drew’s decease is simply a devastating nonaccomplishment to CNN and our full profession,” CNN CEO Chris Licht said successful a enactment to staff. “A highly acclaimed investigative journalist, Drew’s enactment had unthinkable interaction and embodied the ngo of this enactment successful each way.”

Griffin worked connected hundreds of stories and aggregate documentaries implicit the people of astir 2 decades connected CNN’s investigative team. His reporting had been honored with immoderate of journalism’s astir prestigious awards – Emmys, Peabodys, and Murrows among them.

“But radical mattered much to Drew than prizes,” Licht said.

Griffin had an incredibly beardown enactment ethic, colleagues said. He kept his unwellness backstage from astir of his co-workers and had been reporting up until the time helium passed.

Michael Bass, CNN’s Executive Vice President of Programming, besides shared his admiration for Griffin successful a enactment to the investigative squad Sunday.

“Fearless and artful astatine the aforesaid time, helium knew however to propulsion a communicative guardant to its limits, but besides archer it successful a mode that would marque everyone understand,” Bass said. “How galore times has helium chased an unwilling interviewee? How galore times has helium spoken information to power? How galore times has helium made a quality connected thing important … It was an grant to beryllium his workfellow and to beryllium witnesser to his enactment and the ways it changed the world.”

Griffin’s reporting had important interaction and prompted change.

He led a yearlong probe that uncovered delays successful aesculapian attraction that contributed to diligent deaths astatine Department of Veterans Affairs hospitals nationwide. The team’s reporting led to the resignation of the VA secretary, which was followed by the transition of national authorities and a cardinal alteration successful however veterans’ appointments are handled. 

The travel to Shinseki's resignation

Amid his reporting into the precocious fig of sexual assaults allegations against Uber drivers, the institution changed its inheritance cheque process and introduced caller information features successful its app. Following the CNN investigation, Uber announced it would bash distant with a argumentation that antecedently forced individuals with intersexual battle complaints into arbitration and made them motion non-disclosure agreements.

Patricia DiCarlo, Executive Producer of CNN’s investigative portion who worked alongside Griffin for astir a decennary said Griffin was an exceptional writer who crafted pieces into “compelling, must-see TV stories.”

“You cognize erstwhile a Drew Griffin communicative starts – it’s going to beryllium great,” she said. “His mode with words acceptable him apart.”

Griffin’s tenacious attack toward the astir challenging stories and his quality to get immoderate of the astir reluctant nationalist figures to unfastened up and springiness their broadside of the communicative underscored his consciousness of fairness. Still, helium ne'er missed an accidental to grill them with pugnacious questions.

Griffin’s incisive, Emmy-award winning probe into fraud claims against Trump University successful 2016 exposed the questionable, financially draining tactics of a bid of existent property seminars that resulted successful people enactment lawsuits by participants. In an exclusive interview, Griffin pressed a erstwhile Trump University teacher astir his relation successful the strategy – not teaching existent property strategies, but luring participants into paying for much seminars: “We were bringing successful the money,” helium told Griffin.

Trump University instructor: What I did was sales

04:46 - Source: CNN

When predetermination denialism persisted, Griffin worked to dispel the myths of wide predetermination fraud, confronting 1 of the biggest names successful misinformation: MyPillow CEO Mike Lindell. After reviewing the alleged evidence, Griffin sat down with Lindell for a lengthy interview to measure his claims and, ultimately, laid retired the truth: Lindell had “proof of nothing.”

There were times, though, erstwhile Griffin, similar each reporters, could not get his subjects to speech close distant – resulting successful memorable on-camera confrontations with authorities officials, successful particular.

When Griffin learned of the rampant fraud successful California’s authorities cause rehab programme successful 2013, helium pressed the officials successful complaint for answers. He yet tracked down the caput of California’s Health and Human Services Agency, who tried dodging Griffin’s questions by moving to a restroom, which was locked. Griffin’s probe resulted successful a legislative probe and a nationalist apology from the manager of the program.

More recently, Griffin’s assemblage of enactment successful the aftermath of the January 6, 2021, onslaught connected the Capitol exposed the dangers of predetermination deniers and was cited successful tribunal filings by the Department of Justice and House prime committee investigating the insurrection.

'You cognize that's not true': CNN newsman corrects antheral who stormed Capitol

03:28 - Source: CNN

While investigative journalism was astatine the bosom of Griffin’s work, helium often jumped into breaking quality sum – from wide shootings to devastating hurricanes. Among his much memorable on-air moments was during Hurricane Harvey successful 2017, erstwhile helium rescued a antheral by pulling him from a sinking pickup truck.

Griffin’s confidence, hard enactment and doggedness spoke for itself connected camera, yet it was his graciousness and compassion that defined him down the scenes. Few successful the assemblage would cognize that aft those hard-hitting interviews, Griffin would often trade hand-written convey you notes to those who appeared successful a story. And, portion intensely private, Griffin took large attraction to wrapper up the large stories – immoderate of which swept him crossed the satellite – truthful helium could get location and walk clip with his family.

Colleagues remembered the seasoned writer arsenic a kind, consummate nonrecreational who took the clip to mentor younger reporters, cared profoundly astir his squad – and was ever acceptable to lend a hand.

DiCarlo compared her clip moving with Griffin to “winning the vocation lottery.”

“There are conscionable truthful galore radical who worked with him and loved him – this is simply a devastating loss,” DiCarlo said, reflecting connected the squad of producers who intimately worked with Griffin connected his stories. “There was nary 1 other similar him. We were Team Drew.”

A Chicago native, Griffin began his reporting vocation arsenic a reporter/cameraman for WICD-TV successful Champaign, Illinois. He spent stints moving for TV stations successful Florida, South Carolina, North Carolina and Washington. He became an investigative newsman erstwhile helium joined KIRO-TV successful Seattle. He joined CBS 2 News successful Los Angeles successful January 1994, wherever helium worked arsenic a newsman and anchor and helped make the station’s investigative reporting squad and won aggregate section awards.

When helium wasn’t chasing his adjacent scoop, household members said helium loved to question with his woman Margot, play the trumpet oregon bask a circular of play with friends. He besides doted implicit his 3 children whose names were inspired by jazz greats – daughter, Ele Gast; sons, Louis and Miles Griffin – and 2 grandchildren.