Weijia Jiang

Weijia Jiang (Chinese: 姜偉嘉; pinyin: Jiāng Wěijiā; born June 6, 1983) is an American television journalist and reporter. Since July 2018, she has served as White House Correspondent for CBS News.[2] Jiang's tense interactions with President Donald Trump at press briefings have received global attention and coverage.[3]

Weijia Jiang
Born (1983-06-06) June 6, 1983
Xiamen, China
Alma materCollege of William & Mary (BA), Syracuse University (MA)
OccupationWhite House Correspondent
Years active2006–present
Notable credit(s)
WCBS-TV New York correspondent (2012–2015)
CBS News White House Correspondent (2018–present)
Spouse(s)
  • Luther Lowe (m. 2018)
Children1[1]
Parent(s)
  • Liya Wei (mother)
  • Huade Jiang (father)
Weijia Jiang
Traditional Chinese姜偉嘉
Simplified Chinese姜伟嘉

Early life

Jiang was born in Xiamen, China to parents Liya Wei and Huade "John" Jiang, and immigrated with her family to America at the age of two.[4] She was raised in Buckhannon, West Virginia where her parents, who are now retired, owned and operated Chinatown Restaurant.[5] Jiang became interested in journalism after encouragement from an eighth-grade teacher. Together, they prepared a home-made TV show to submit to a competition run by the national student broadcast Channel One, leading to an opportunity for Jiang to intern as a student anchor and reporter in Los Angeles for two weeks.[6] During high school, Jiang worked on the high school video news staff.[7]

In 2005 Jiang graduated from the College of William & Mary with a bachelor's degree in Philosophy and a minor in Chemistry. She worked on the student-run television station WMTV, and credits the university for developing her curiosity.[8] She earned a Master's in broadcast journalism from Syracuse University, graduating in 2006.[9] She was inducted into Newhouse School's Professional Gallery in 2012.[10]

Career

Jiang began in broadcasting at the age of 13 as a student reporter and anchor for Channel One News in Los Angeles, having won a student competition.[11] After completing her broadcast journalist degree, she became a reporter for WBOC-TV between 2006 and 2008 before spending four years as a general assignment reporter at WJZ-TV in Baltimore. For her feature reporting at WBOC-TV she was honoured with an Edward R. Murrow Award[12] and an Associated Press Award. During her 3-year stint at CBS New York as a general assignment reporter and fill-in anchor for WCBS-TV, Jiang covered major stories such as Superstorm Sandy, the Boston Marathon bombings, and the shootings at Sandy Hook Elementary. In 2013 WJZ-TV won a regional Emmy award in the 34th News & Documentary Emmy Awards for their coverage Newtown Tragedy, which Jiang was involved in.[13]

Jiang moved to Washington D.C. to become a correspondent for Newspath, the 24-hour news gathering service for CBS News. In 2014 Jiang was the Gala Dinner MC for the Outstanding 50 Asian Americans in Business Gala Dinner which also featured letters of support from then-president Barack Obama, Andrew Cuomo and Bill de Blasio.[14]

In 2018 Jiang became CBS News White House Correspondent, covering political stories including President Trump's summit with Russian President Vladimir Putin and the Mueller Probe. As part of her role, Jiang has travelled with President Trump, including on-board Air Force One.[2]

Jiang is a member of the Asian American Journalists Association.

Jiang is authoring a memoir titled "Other" to come out in Spring 2022, to be published by Simon & Schuster. [15]

She continues to cover the White House as a senior White House Correspondent for CBS News[16] during the Biden Administration.

Awards

Confrontations with President Trump

Upon becoming a White House Correspondent in 2018, Jiang has found herself in numerous clashes with President Trump, often in response to her line of questioning. These interactions have amassed global news coverage questioning sensitive issues around racism.[18][19][20]

  • On June 15, 2018, Jiang asked President Trump why he felt North Korea no longer posed a nuclear threat to which he raised his hand and said "Quiet" before remarking to another person, "She's so obnoxious".[21]
  • On September 26, 2018, Jiang was told to "sit down" after repeatedly asking President Trump about Supreme Court nominee Brett Kavanaugh.[22]
  • On March 17, 2020, Jiang reported that a "White House official referred to Coronavirus as the 'Kung-Flu' to my face."[23]
  • On April 3, 2020, in response to Jiang's question about Jared Kushner's use of "our" to describe the federal government's stockpile of medical supplies, President Trump called it a "nasty question."[24]
  • On April 19, 2020, when questioned on why President Trump did not warn Americans about the virus sooner, Jiang was told to "just relax" and to "keep your voice down".[25]
  • On May 11, 2020, Jiang questioned why there was an emphasis on competitively comparing coronavirus testing, President Trump responded "Don't ask me. Ask China that question." Jiang responded "Sir, why are you saying that to me, specifically?" to which Trump replied "I am not saying it specifically to anybody. I am saying it to anybody who would ask a nasty question like that." Trump abruptly left the press conference soon after this interaction as CNN White House Correspondent Kaitlan Collins was turned down from asking her question.[4]

Personal life

On March 17, 2018, Jiang married Travis Luther Lowe, an executive at Yelp and a donor to Democratic Party candidates and causes,[26] in Palm Springs, California. Jim Obergefell led the ceremony, which also featured a Chinese tea ceremony. Jiang and Lowe had met in college, where they co-hosted a weekly campus television show.[27] In December 2018, she gave birth to her daughter Frankie Mei.[28]

References
  1. Saunders, Debra (December 2, 2018). "The 'Trump bump': Why so many White House reporters are pregnant Today". Las Vegas Review-Journal. Retrieved May 12, 2020.
  2. "Weijia Jiang". www.cbsnews.com. Retrieved April 4, 2020.
  3. "Trump gets in spat with Asian American reporter". BBC News. Retrieved May 13, 2020.
  4. "'Don't ask me. Ask China': Trump clashes with reporters then abruptly leaves press briefing". The Guardian. May 1, 2020. Retrieved April 4, 2020.
  5. "Weijia Jiang, Luther Lowe". The New York Times. March 1, 2018. ISSN 0362-4331. Retrieved April 4, 2020.
  6. "CBS News reporter to serve as parade marshal". The Record Delta. Retrieved May 12, 2020.
  7. https://therecorddelta.com/article/cbs-news-reporter-to-serve-as-parade-marshal
  8. "Covering COVID-19: W&M alumni reporting from front lines of pandemic". William & Mary. Retrieved May 12, 2020.
  9. "Weijia Jiang, Luther Lowe". The New York Times. March 1, 2018. ISSN 0362-4331. Retrieved April 4, 2020.
  10. "40 Newhouse alumni inducted into the school's Professional Gallery Nov. 10". Newhouse School | Syracuse University. Retrieved May 12, 2020.
  11. "PBS Washington Week Profiles: Weijia Jiang". Washington Week. Retrieved May 12, 2020.
  12. "WBOC Wins 11 Awards in AP Contest; WBOC.com Named Outstanding Web Site". www.wboc.com. Retrieved May 16, 2020.
  13. "Winners Announced for the 34th Annual News & Documentary Emmy® Awards | The Emmy Awards – The National Academy of Television Arts & Sciences". Retrieved May 16, 2020.
  14. "Outstanding 50 Asian Americans in Business 2014 Gala Dinner" (PDF). June 19, 2014. Retrieved May 17, 2020.
  15. "CBS White House reporter Weijia Jiang is writing a memoir". AP NEWS. December 10, 2020. Retrieved December 11, 2020.
  16. Johnson, Ted; Johnson, Ted (January 15, 2021). "CBS News Sets D.C. Lineup: Nancy Cordes Tapped As Chief White House Correspondent; Ed O'Keefe And Weijia Jiang Also On POTUS Beat". Deadline. Retrieved January 16, 2021.
  17. "2008 Regional Edward R. Murrow Award winners". www.rtdna.org. Retrieved May 16, 2020.
  18. Washington, Adam Gabbatt David Smith in (May 1, 2020). "Trump accused of racism after clash with Asian American reporter". The Guardian. ISSN 0261-3077. Retrieved May 12, 2020.
  19. Scott, Dylan (March 1, 2020). "Trump's new fixation on using a racist name for the coronavirus is dangerous". Vox. Retrieved May 13, 2020.
  20. "Weijia Jiang asked a question that left Trump unable to respond. So let's talk about what the answer actually is". The Independent. May 1, 2020. Retrieved May 13, 2020.
  21. Haltiwanger, John. "Trump called a female reporter 'obnoxious' and told her to be 'quiet'". Business Insider. Retrieved May 12, 2020.
  22. "Trump Clashes With Female Journalists During Presser". Time. Retrieved May 12, 2020.
  23. Tucker, Emma (March 1, 2020). "CBS Reporter: WH Official Called Coronavirus 'Kung Flu' to My Face Today". The Daily Beast. Retrieved April 4, 2020.
  24. Behrmann, Savannah. "'Nasty': Trump rails against reporter who asked about national stockpile". USA TODAY. Retrieved April 4, 2020.
  25. Elsesser, Kim. "Trump Suggests Female Reporters Should Be More Like Donna Reed". Forbes. Retrieved May 12, 2020.
  26. https://www.campaignmoney.com/political/contributions/travis-lowe.asp?cycle=16
  27. "Weijia Jiang, Luther Lowe". The New York Times. March 1, 2018. ISSN 0362-4331. Retrieved May 12, 2020.
  28. "Weijia Jiang: 5 Things About The Female CBS Reporter Who Donald Trump Ordered To 'Keep Your Voice Down'". Hollywood Life. April 2, 2020. Retrieved May 19, 2020.
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