Omar Jimenez facts for kids
Quick facts for kids
Omar Jimenez
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Omar Jimenez in 2024.
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| Born | November 27, 1993 Worcester, Massachusetts, U.S.
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| Alma mater | Northwestern University (BSJ) |
| Occupation | Journalist |
| Employer | CNN |
Omar Fernando Jimenez (born November 27, 1993) is an American journalist. He works as a correspondent for CNN.
Contents
Early Life and Education
Omar Jimenez was born in Worcester, Massachusetts. He grew up in Kennesaw, Georgia. His mother, Jayne Morgan, is a heart doctor (cardiologist). His father, Omar Jimenez Jr., is a brain surgeon (neurosurgeon) from Colombia. Omar has three brothers. He identifies as Afro-Latino. When he was in sixth grade, his parents divorced. He lived with his mother.
Jimenez went to Kennesaw Mountain High School. He played basketball there. He fractured his back and could not play for eight months. He later attended the Medill School of Journalism at Northwestern University. He studied broadcast journalism. He also played on the men's varsity basketball team from 2011 to 2013. While at Northwestern, he worked with the Chicago Innocence Project. This project helps investigate cases of wrongful convictions.
Becoming a Journalist
Jimenez started his journalism career as an intern. He worked at NBC News in Chicago. For almost four years, he worked at WGEM-TV in Quincy, Illinois. He was a multimedia journalist there. This means he reported, filmed, and edited his own stories.
Later, he worked at WBAL-TV in Baltimore, Maryland. He was a general assignment reporter. He also filled in as an anchor. He worked at WBAL from July 2015 to June 2017.
Reporting for CNN
Omar Jimenez joined CNN on August 7, 2017. He first worked at CNN Newsource in Washington, D.C. He reported for over 900 CNN news stations across the country. He covered many breaking news stories. Now, he is a CNN correspondent based in Chicago.
Reporting During Protests
On May 29, 2020, Jimenez and his news team were reporting live. They were covering protests in Minneapolis, Minnesota. These protests were related to the death of George Floyd. Police officers arrested Jimenez and his team. This happened even though their media passes were visible. Jimenez said he agreed to move where directed. But officers still arrested them.
They were held for about an hour and a half. CNN President Jeff Zucker called Minnesota Governor Tim Walz. He asked for the crew's release. Governor Walz apologized for the incident. He called it "unacceptable."
Jimenez also reported from Kenosha, Wisconsin. This was during protests after the shooting of Jacob Blake. He was on camera with a building burning behind him. He had a gas mask around his neck. At the time, a CNN on-screen graphic (chyron) described the events as "Fiery But Mostly Peaceful" protests. This image was shared widely online. CNN received criticism for the chyron. However, Jimenez himself never used those words in his report.
Awards and Achievements
While at Northwestern, Omar Jimenez won several student awards. These were for his reporting. He won the National Mark of Excellence Award. This was for student television reporting. It came from the Society of Professional Journalists. He also won a Bronze award from the National College Emmys. This was in the newscast category.
When he worked at WBAL-TV, Jimenez received an Emmy nomination. This was for his general assignment reporting.
Beyond the News
Omar Jimenez started playing music in high school. He enjoys rap and hip-hop music. He has released music on SoundCloud under the name OJ Tropicana. His first music collection, called Reporting Live, came out in 2017. He worked with producer Daiz and musician Drew Tildon. His music is influenced by Childish Gambino. In 2013, he appeared on a TV show. It was a "Battle of the Instant Rappers" segment on Late Night with Jimmy Fallon.
See also
- List of CNN personnel
