Sara Sidner facts for kids

Sara Sidner (born May 31, 1972) is an American television reporter. She is a co-anchor for the morning show CNN News Central. She also hosted Big Picture with Sara Sidner on CNN+, which was a special online service.

Early Life and Education

Sara Sidner grew up in Miami Lakes, Florida. Her father was African-American, and her mother was British. She went to Hialeah-Miami Lakes High School.

After high school, she studied at the University of Florida. She earned a degree in telecommunications. While in college, Sara was a talented volleyball player. Her team even made it to the Final Four in her last year.

Reporting Career

Sara Sidner started her career as a TV reporter in Gainesville, Florida, at WUFT-TV. She then worked at several other TV stations. These included KFVS-TV in Cape Girardeau, Missouri, and WINK-TV in Fort Myers, Florida.

She also worked at KDFW-TV in Dallas, Texas. There, she spent three years reporting on consumer news. She also reported on the Space Shuttle Columbia disaster. In 2004, Sara joined KTVU in Oakland, California. She co-anchored the weekend news and worked as a weekday reporter.

Awards for Journalism

Sara Sidner has won many awards for her excellent journalism. These include a Regional Emmy Award. She also received a Lone Star Award and several Associated Press Awards.

Working at CNN

Sara Sidner became a national and international correspondent for CNN. She was based in Los Angeles for a time. Before that, she worked from Jerusalem, Abu Dhabi, and New Delhi.

At CNN, Sara has covered many important events. She reported on the 2011 Libyan civil war. She also covered the launch of India's first uncrewed moon probe, Chandrayaan-1. Another major event she reported on was the Mumbai terrorist attacks.

In May 2020, Sara was in Minneapolis. She was covering the protests that followed the death of George Floyd. During this time, she interviewed the city's police chief, Medaria Arradondo. He shared his thoughts on the responsibility of other officers involved.

In January 2023, CNN announced changes to its daytime shows. Sara Sidner was chosen as a co-anchor for a new program. This show, called CNN News Central, started on April 3, 2023. She co-anchors with John Berman and Kate Bolduan.

On October 11, 2023, Sara reported on information from the Israeli Prime Minister's office. This information was about victims of the Kfar Aza massacre. She reported a claim that was later found to be unverified. CNN later clarified that the Israeli government could not confirm the specific claim. Sara Sidner later apologized on her social media account. She stated that she had been given misleading information.

Health Journey

On January 8, 2024, Sara Sidner shared some personal news. At the end of an episode of CNN News Central, she announced she had been diagnosed with breast cancer. It was stage III breast cancer.

She continued her work while getting treatment. She often shared updates on social media. She wanted to raise awareness about breast cancer. She had a double mastectomy, 16 rounds of chemotherapy, and 25 rounds of radiation. She finished her treatment on October 10, 2024.