Soledad O'Brien: Difference between revisions
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{{Infobox_Person |
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| name = Soledad O'Brien |
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| birth_date = {{Birth date and age|1966|9|19}} |
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| birth_place = [[St. James, New York]] |
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| death_date = |
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| occupation = [[News anchor]] ([[CNN]]) |
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| spouse = Bradford Raymond |
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| children = Sofia Elizabeth {{Birth date and age|2000|10|23}}, Cecilia {{Birth date and age|2002|3|20}}, Charlie and Jackson both {{Birth date and age|2004|8|30}} |
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| salary = |
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'''María de la Soledad Teresa O'Brien'''<ref name="indystar-2005">{{cite news|last=Edelhart|first=Courtenay|url=http://www.indystar.com/apps/pbcs.dll/article?AID=/20051024/ENTERTAINMENT05/510240308/1005/ENTERTAINMENT|title=CNN's O'Brien embraces her own diversity|work=Indianapolis Star|date=[[2005-10-24]]|accessdate=2006-04-02}}{{dead link|date=January 2008|url=http://web.archive.org/web/20051224171230/http://www.indystar.com/apps/pbcs.dll/article?AID=/20051024/ENTERTAINMENT05/510240308/1005/ENTERTAINMENT}}</ref> (born [[September 19]], [[1966]] in [[St. James, New York]]) is an [[United States|American]] [[television]] [[journalist]] of [[Australia]]n, [[Ireland|Irish]] and [[Cuba]]n heritage. She is currently the host of ''[[CNN Special Investigations Unit]]'' on [[CNN]]. |
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O'Brien is most known for anchoring the [[CNN]] marquee morning newscast ''[[American Morning]]'' from July 2003<ref name="cnnbio"> {{cite web|url=http://www.cnn.com/CNN/anchors_reporters/obrien.soledad.html |title=Anchors & Reporters Soledad O'Brien |accessdate=2007-04-22 }}</ref>- April 3, 2007, with [[Miles O'Brien (journalist)|Miles O'Brien]]; their common surnames are [[coincidence|coincidences]]. |
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She is a member of the [[National Association of Black Journalists]] and the [[National Association of Hispanic Journalists]].[http://www.cnn.com/CNN/anchors_reporters/obrien.soledad.html] |
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==Personal life== |
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O'Brien's parents, both immigrants, met at [[Johns Hopkins University]] in [[Maryland]] in 1958. |
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<blockquote>My parents were both immigrants—my mother from Cuba, my father from Australia. Both attended daily Mass at the church near campus. Every day my father would offer my mother a ride. Every day, she declined. Finally she said yes. One year later, the day after Christmas, the two of them were married.<ref>[http://soledadobrien.info/articles/guideposts4-04.htm Soledad O'Brien Unofficially<!-- Bot generated title -->]</ref> |
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</blockquote> |
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O'Brien's parents married in 1959 in [[Washington, D.C.]]. Her father Edward, an [[Australia]]n (from [[Toowoomba]], [[Queensland]]<ref name=soledad95>[http://soledadobrien.info/soledad95.html Soledad O'Brien Unofficially]</ref>) of [[Irish people|Irish]] descent, was a mechanical engineering professor.<ref name=hispMag>[http://www.hispaniconline.com/magazine/2005/June/CoverStory/index.html Hispanic Magazine.com - June/July 2005 - Cover Story<!-- Bot generated title -->]</ref> Her mother Estella, a Cuban, was a French and English teacher.<ref name=hispMag/> O'Brien is the fifth of six children, who all graduated from [[Harvard University]]. Her older siblings are law professor Maria (b. 1961); corporate lawyer Cecilia (b. 1962), Tony (b. 1963) who heads a documents company;<ref name=soledad95/> eye surgeon Estela (b. 1964); and anesthesiologist Orestes (b. 1968).<ref name=hispMag/> |
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Interracial marriage in Maryland was illegal back then, so the couple married in Washington, D.C. The O'Briens then moved to the [[Long Island]] community of [[St. James, New York|St. James]], on Long Island's affluent North Shore, where O'Brien was born and raised. On the [[National Public Radio|NPR]] quiz show ''[[Wait Wait... Don't Tell Me!]]'', O'Brien explained that in Spanish her full name means, "The Blessed Virgin Mary of Solitude." When she started working in TV, many people recommended that she change her name, but she refused.<ref>{{cite news|url=http://www.npr.org/templates/rundowns/rundown.php?prgId=35&prgDate=19-08-2006&view=storyview|title=Wait Wait Don't Tell Me|accessdate=2006-08-19|date=[[August 19]], [[2006]]|publisher=[[NPR]]}}</ref> |
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Despite her partial [[Latino|Latina]] heritage, O'Brien doesn't speak Spanish fluently. That has resulted in some awkward exchanges with people who assume she does, including former vice-president [[Al Gore]].<ref>[http://dawgnetnews.com/archive/051030/3316.html O'Brien encourages diversity in journalism], [[Butler University]] Dawgnet, [[October 30]], [[2005]]</ref> |
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Since 1995 O'Brien has been married to Bradley Raymond, co-head of investment banking at [[Thomas Weisel Partners]]. Together they have two daughters and twin sons: Sofia Elizabeth (born [[October 23]], [[2000]]; Cecilia (born [[March 20]], [[2002]]; and Charlie (born at 6:23 pm est weighing 7 pounds, 1 ounce) and Jackson (born 6:27pm est weighing 7 pounds, 2 ounces) on [[August 30]], [[2004]].<ref>[http://soledadobrien.info/soledad2004.htm Soledad O'Brien Unofficially<!-- Bot generated title -->]</ref> |
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==Broadcasting career== |
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She began her career as an associate producer and news writer at [[WBZ-TV]], then the NBC affiliate in [[Boston]]. O'Brien joined NBC News in 1991, and was based in New York as a field producer for the ''Nightly News'' and ''Today''. O'Brien then worked for three years as a local reporter and bureau chief for [[San Francisco]] NBC affiliate [[KRON]]. At [[KRON]] she was a reporter on "The Know Zone." The program later moved to [[CNET]] without O'Brien. |
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O'Brien was featured on a regular segment of the Discovery Channel program [[The Next Step]], holding the position of "[[Sun Microsystems]] Infogal." |
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O'Brien then anchored [[MSNBC]]'s weekend morning show and the cable network's award-winning technology program ''[[The Site]]'', which aired weeknights from the Spring of 1996 to November 1997. |
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O'Brien came to [[CNN]] from [[NBC News]], where she had anchored ''[[The Today Show#Weekend Today|Weekend Today]]'' since July 1999. During that time, she contributed reports for the weekday ''[[Today Show]]'' and for weekend editions of ''[[NBC Nightly News]]'', and covered such notable stories as [[John F. Kennedy Jr.]]'s plane crash and the 1990s school shootings in Colorado and Oregon. In 2003, she covered the [[Space Shuttle Columbia disaster]] and later anchored NBC's weekend coverage of the [[War in Iraq]]. In 2005, she covered the [[Hurricane Katrina]] aftermath in New Orleans where she interviewed then head of FEMA Michael Brown. |
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O'Brien began anchoring CNN's flagship morning program ''[[American Morning]]'' from [[New York City]] in July 2003<ref name="cnnbio" />, when she joined the network. On April 3, 2007 O'Brien was replaced by former Fox News anchor [[Kiran Chetry]] (her co-anchor was also replaced), reportedly due to lagging ratings. O'Brien has just completed a documentary entitled, "Children of the Storm," directed by acclaimed director Spike Lee. She continues to work as a reporter for CNN,<ref>[http://www.mediabistro.com/fishbowlny/tv/cnn_flips_american_morning_soledad_miles_obrien_out_john_roberts_scorned_fox_newser_kiran_chetry_in_56315.asp mediabistro.com: FishbowlNY<!-- Bot generated title -->]</ref> mainly hosting ''Special Investigations Unit'' and sometimes occasionally filling in for [[Anderson Cooper]] on ''[[Anderson Cooper 360]]''. She also anchored [[exit poll]] coverage during CNN's coverage of the [[primaries]] and [[caucuses]] in the 2008 [[United States presidential election, 2008|United States presidential race]]. She also has filled in for [[Paula Zahn]] on ''[[Paula Zahn Now]]'' whenever Zahn was unable to make the broadcast (Zahn has since stopped working for CNN as of [[August 2]], [[2007]]). |
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==Honors and recognitions== |
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O'Brien's work has been honored several times, including a local [[Emmy]] for her work co-hosting the [[Discovery Channel]]'s ''[[The Know Zone]]''. She has been named to ''[[People magazine|People]]'s'' 50 Most Beautiful in 2001 and to ''[[People en Español]]'s'' 50 Most Beautiful in 2004. She was named to ''Irish American Magazine'''s "Top 100 Irish Americans" on two occasions. She is also on ''[[Black Enterprise]]'' magazine's 2005 Hit List. Also in 2005, she was awarded "Groundbreaking Latina of the Year" award by [[Catalina magazine]]. Most recently she was awarded the 2007 [[NAACP]] President's Award. |
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She is a member of the [[National Association of Black Journalists]] and the [[National Association of Hispanic Journalists]]. She serves on the board of directors of [[The Harlem School of the Arts]]. |
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In May 2007, O’Brien gave the keynote address at the undergraduate commencement at [[Bryant University]] and was presented with a Doctor of Humane Letters honorary degree.<ref>{{cite web |
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|url= http://www.bryant.edu/wps/wcm/connect/Bryant/About%20Bryant/News/News%20Releases/2007/Bryant%20University%20Commencement%202007 |
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|title= Bryant University Commencement 2007 |accessdate= 2008-01-02 |last= Sweeney |first=Tracie |date= 2007-08-16 |
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|publisher= Bryant University |quote= Soledad O’Brien will deliver the ceremony’s keynote address.}}</ref> She was also the convocation speaker at [[Cornell University]]'s Commencement on May 26, 2007. |
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O'Brien was also invited to [[Stony Brook University]] to speak as part of the university's School of Journalism's 'My Life as...' series. Her section is titled, 'My Life As a CNN Anchor'. |
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O'Brien also spoke at the [[Binghamton University]] commencement in December 2007 and received a standing ovation after her speech detailing her disbelief in advice. |
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O'Brien's name and photo have been used as a [[The Colbert Report recurring elements#Recurring topics|recurring topic on ''The Colbert Report'']]. In 2006, host [[Stephen Colbert]] said on ''[[The Colbert Report]]'' that O'Brien is "the one woman who encapsulates [all women]", joking that her multiracial background included "part [[cephalopod]]".<ref name=colbert>{{cite episode|title=Producer Robert Greenwald|series=[[The Colbert Report]]|number=2043|episodelink=List of The Colbert Report episodes#Season 2 (2006)|airdate=2006-03-30}}</ref><!-- In [[List of The Colbert Report episodes]], this episode is given as number "2043", but on the [http://www.colbertnation.com/ Corbert Report website], it's given as #75. 2043 is used here to make the reference consistent. --> On [[June 26]], 2006, Colbert said that his [[American Dream]] "involve[d] [[Uncle Sam]], a [[hot tub]] full of [[Apple pie#Apple pie in American culture|apple pie]] filling, and Soledad O'Brien." On the next night's show, discussing O'Brien's recent interview with [[Bruce Springsteen]], he dubbed her "...my favorite omniracial news anchoress." Colbert was interviewed by O'Brien on the [[June 27]], 2006, edition of ''American Morning'' (though there was no mention of his character's infatuation with O'Brien).<ref>[http://transcripts.cnn.com/TRANSCRIPTS/0606/27/ltm.05.html Measles Alert; 'Candy' Man; Global Warming the Cause of Erratic Fires], ''[[CNN]], Aired [[June 27]], [[2006]]</ref> |
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On [[August 10]], 2006, Colbert referred to O'Brien as "the global village that is Soledad O'Brien", when he mentioned her interview with [[Joe Lieberman]] on ''[[American Morning]]'' following his announcement to run as an independent in the US [[Midterm election]]s. On the August 24th episode of ''The Colbert Report'' Stephen said, "You know it's always been a dream of mine to fight a squadron of [[Nancy Pelosi]] clones in the [[Sarlacc|Sarlacc Pit]] while a gold bikini-clad Soledad O'Brien gave a play-by-play from [[Karl Rove]]'s sail barge." On [[September 19]], 2006, Colbert's segment [[The Colbert Report recurring elements|The WØRD]] dealt with 'Tribalism', specifically with the controversy that the show ''[[Survivor (TV series)|Survivor]]'' will split contestants into groups based on race for the 13th season. Colbert suggested that America similarly split itself up among "Whites, Africans, Asians and Hispanics", and that bi-racial people "should pick a parent." The accompanying sidebar read "Stop stalling, Soledad O'Brien." |
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==References== |
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<!--See http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Wikipedia:Footnotes for an explanation of how to generate footnotes using the <ref(erences/)> tags--> |
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<div class="references-small"><references /></div> |
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==External links== |
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*[http://www.cnn.com/CNN/anchors_reporters/obrien.soledad.html Soledad O'Brien], CNN.com biography |
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*[http://www.hispaniconline.com/magazine/2005/June/CoverStory/ Hispanic Magazine Online] - ''2005 Cover Story'' |
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*{{imdb name|id=0639821}} |
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*[http://cornellsun.com/node/23456 Interview with O'Brien] |
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{{Persondata |
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|NAME=O'Brien, María de la Soledad |
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|ALTERNATIVE NAMES=O'Brien, Soledad |
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|SHORT DESCRIPTION=[[CNN]] [[news anchor]] |
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|DATE OF BIRTH=[[September 19]], [[1966]] |
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|PLACE OF BIRTH=[[St. James, New York|St. James]], [[New York]] |
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|DATE OF DEATH= |
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|PLACE OF DEATH= |
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}} |
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{{DEFAULTSORT:Obrien, Soledad}} |
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[[Category:1966 births]] |
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[[Category:African Americans]] |
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[[Category:American television journalists]] |
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[[Category:Australian Americans]] |
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[[Category:American broadcast news analysts]] |
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[[Category:Cuban-Americans]] |
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[[Category:Harvard University alumni]] |
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[[Category:Irish-Americans]] |
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[[Category:Living people]] |
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[[Category:People from Suffolk County, New York]] |
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[[Category:San Francisco television anchors]] |
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[[Category:NBC News]] |
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{{AmericanMorningHosts}} |
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Revision as of 15:14, 12 February 2008
Helo people