How Did Drew Griffin Die? Cause of Death: After a protracted battle with cancer, Drew Griffin, CNN’s Senior Investigative Correspondent and a master at engaging even the most reluctant interview subjects, passed away on Saturday, according to his family. He was 60. Griffin, a talented storyteller, had a well-deserved reputation for calling out strong individuals and organisations.
CNN CEO Chris Licht wrote in a memo to colleagues, “Drew’s passing is a sad loss to CNN and our whole profession. “Drew’s work had great impact and embodied the objective of this organisation in every aspect,” said a highly regarded investigative journalist.
During his nearly two decades with CNN’s investigative team, Griffin contributed to hundreds of articles and numerous documentaries. Emmy, Peabody, and Murrow awards, among other renowned honours for journalism, had been given to recognise his reporting.
To Drew, however, people were more important than winning. According to coworkers, Griffin had a fantastic work ethic. He kept the majority of his coworkers in the dark about his sickness, and he continued to report until the day of his death. Michael Bass, CNN’s Executive Vice President of Programming, also expressed his respect for Griffin in a letter to the investigation team on Sunday.
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Bass remarked that the author was “fearless and artistic at the same time, knowing how to push a story ahead to the extremes, but also tell it in a way that would make everyone understand.” How many times has he pursued someone who was refusing to be interviewed? He’s spoken the truth to power how many times? How frequently has he influenced something crucial? Being his coworker and seeing how his efforts altered the world was an honour.
Griffin’s reporting made a big difference and led to improvement. During a year-long inquiry he oversaw, it was discovered that Department of Veterans Affairs facilities around the country had delays in medical care that triggered patient fatalities. The VA secretary’s departure as a result of the team’s research sparked federal legislation to be passed, which resulted in a significant transformation in the way veterans’ appointments are managed.
Uber modified its background check procedure and added new security features to its app in response to his reporting on the numerous sexual assault complaints against Uber drivers. In response to the CNN investigation, Uber declared it will change its policy that previously required anyone who complained of sexual assault to sign non-disclosure agreements and submit their claims to arbitration.
Griffin collaborated with Patricia DiCarlo for almost ten years as the executive producer of CNN’s investigative team. Griffin was a talented writer who turned his work into “compelling, must-see TV tales,” according to Patricia DiCarlo. It’s always going to be fantastic when a Drew Griffin story begins, she added. He was unique because of the way he used language.
Griffin’s sense of fairness was furthered by his dogged pursuit of the most difficult subjects and his capacity to get some of the most reclusive prominent personalities to provide their side of the tale. The fact is that he never shied away from challenging them.
Griffin’s sharp, Emmy-winning investigation into fraud allegations against Trump University in 2016 revealed the dubious, money-draining strategies of a number of real estate seminars that led to class action lawsuits from participants. In an exclusive interview, Griffin questioned a former instructor at Trump University about his participation in the scam, which involved not teaching real estate ideas but rather enticing participants into paying for additional seminars. “We were bringing in the money,” the instructor responded.
Griffin fought against one of the largest figures in disinformation, MyPillow CEO Mike Lindell, as election denialism persisted in an effort to refute the beliefs of widespread electoral fraud. Griffin got down with Lindell for a protracted interview to assess his accusations after going over the ‘evidence,’ and in the end, he revealed the truth: Lindell had ‘proof of nothing.
However, there were moments when Griffin, like many reporters, struggled to get his subjects to open up. These instances, particularly with government officials, led to dramatic on-camera confrontations.
Griffin urged the in charge of the program’s state-run drug rehabilitation for answers after learning in 2013 of the widespread deception. The director of California’s health and human services agency was finally located, but she attempted to avoid Griffin’s questioning by rushing to a locked bathroom. A congressional inquiry and a formal apology from the program’s director were outcomes of Griffin’s investigation.
More recently, the Department of Justice and the House Select Committee looking into the uprising highlighted Griffin’s body of work in court filings after the attack on the Capitol on January 6, 2021 exposed the hazards of election deniers. Griffin’s primary focus was investigative journalism, but he frequently covered breaking news, such as deadly hurricanes or mass massacres. In 2017, during Hurricane Harvey, he pulled a man from a sinking pickup truck, which was one of his more memorable on-air incidents.
On camera, Griffin’s self-assurance, tenacity, and perseverance spoke for themselves, but off-camera, his graciousness and compassion were what made him stand out. Few people in the audience were aware that Griffin frequently wrote handwritten thank you notes to people who were featured in a story after conducting those frank interviews. Griffin was quite private, but he took great care to finish the big stories—some of which took him throughout the globe—so he could return home and see his family.
Colleagues recalled the seasoned journalist as a kind, model employee who took the time to mentor younger reporters, cared profoundly about his team, and was always willing to help. Griffin’s employment was like “winning the career lottery,” according to DiCarlo.
DiCarlo spoke of the group of producers that closely collaborated with Griffin on his projects, saying, “There are just so many individuals who worked with him and loved him – this is a tragic loss.” “He was unique; nobody else was like him. Team Drew is who we were. Griffin, an Illinois native and native of Chicago, started his journalistic career as a reporter and cameraman for WICD-TV in Champaign.
He worked for TV stations for stretches in Florida, South Carolina, North Carolina, and Washington. Upon joining KIRO-TV in Seattle, he transitioned into an investigative reporter. In addition to working as a reporter and anchor for CBS 2 News in Los Angeles, where he helped establish the organization’s investigative reporting unit, he also won numerous regional accolades there after joining the network in January 1994.
He loved to travel with his wife Margot, play the trumpet, and play golf with pals, according to family members, when he wasn’t looking for his next scoop. Additionally, he adored his two grandkids as well as his three children, whose names were also taken from jazz legends: daughter Ele Gast, sons Louis and Miles Griffin.