Jeff Zeleny
{{Short description|American TV journalist (born 1973)}}
{{Use mdy dates|date=May 2024}}
{{Infobox person
| name = Jeff Zeleny
| image = Jeff Zeleny by Gage Skidmore.jpg
| alt =
| caption = Zeleny in 2023
| birth_name = Jeffrey Dean Zeleny
| birth_date = {{Birth date and age|1973|6|10|mf=yes}}
| birth_place = Exeter, Nebraska, U.S.
| death_date =
| death_place =
| known_for = Senior White House Correspondent for CNN
| alma_mater = University of Nebraska
| spouse =
| years_active = 1996–present
}}
File:Jeff Zeleny autograph.jpg
Jeffrey Dean Zeleny (born June 10, 1973) is an American journalist and the chief national affairs correspondent for CNN. He previously was senior Washington correspondent for ABC News. During his newspaper career, he won a Pulitzer Prize with the Chicago Tribune.
Early life
Jeffrey Dean Zeleny was born on June 10, 1973, in Exeter, Nebraska,{{cite web |url=http://www.uwrf.edu/JOUR/Events/Working.cfm |title=Jeff Zeleny, The New York Times Political Correspondent |author=University of Wisconsin–River Falls |publisher=University of Wisconsin–River Falls |date=November 18, 2010 |access-date=September 3, 2014}}{{cite web |url=http://www.abcmedianet.com/web/bios/display_bios.aspx?bio_type=news_correspondents&bio_id=416 |title=Jeff Zeleny |author=Staff(s) |publisher=ABC Medianet |access-date=August 29, 2014 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20140829145412/http://www.abcmedianet.com/web/bios/display_bios.aspx?bio_type=news_correspondents&bio_id=416 |archive-date=August 29, 2014 |url-status=dead }} the son of Diane Naomi (née Yeck) and Robert Dean Zeleny. He has two older brothers, James Robert Zeleny and Michael Jon Zeleny, and was raised with them on the family farm.
Zeleny is also openly gay.{{dead link|date=May 2024}}{{cite web |url= http://gawker.com/5071469/americas-top-gays-on-campaign-trail |title= America's Top Gays On Campaign Trail |publisher= gawker.com |date=2008}}
Education
Zeleny was educated at Exeter High School,{{cite web |url= http://www.sewardindependent.com/friend/news/article_cf5080b2-78ec-11e1-b272-001a4bcf6878.html |title= Exeter graduate starts firestorm |work= SewardIndependent.com |date= March 28, 2012 |access-date= April 6, 2016 |archive-date= March 5, 2017 |archive-url= https://web.archive.org/web/20170305020021/http://www.sewardindependent.com/friend/news/article_cf5080b2-78ec-11e1-b272-001a4bcf6878.html |url-status= dead }} a public high school in the small town of Exeter, Nebraska. As a student, he contributed sports stories to the York News-Times in neighboring York County.
Zeleny attended the University of Nebraska, where he studied journalism and political science. He graduated in 1996. While at the university, he was the editor of the Daily Nebraskan, the school's newspaper. He also played trumpet in the University of Nebraska Cornhusker Marching Band.{{cite web |url=http://omahamagazine.com/articles/a-campaign-trail-nomad-rooted-in-nebraska/ |title= A Campaign Trail Nomad Rooted in Nebraska |work=Omaha Magazine |date= December 28, 2016 |access-date = January 24, 2017}}
Career
After interning for newspapers including The Wall Street Journal, the Florida Times-Union and the Arkansas Democrat-Gazette in college, Zeleny started working for The Des Moines Register in 1996.{{cite web |url=http://journalism.unl.edu/jeff-zeleny |title=Jeff Zeleny |publisher=University of Nebraska |access-date=January 24, 2017}} Although he originally planned to be a sports reporter, the importance of the Iowa caucuses led to him becoming a political specialist.{{cite web |url=http://journalstar.com/news/local/exeter-native-named-correspondent-for-abc-news/article_e9491b58-6dee-5acf-827b-3ed57c570f2d.html |title=Exeter native named correspondent for ABC News |last1=Laukaitis |first1=Algis |publisher=Lincoln Journal Star |date=February 25, 2013 |access-date=January 24, 2017}}
In 2000, he left to write for the Chicago Tribune.{{cite web |url=http://www.dailynebraskan.com/new-york-times-reporter-ex-dn-editor-zeleny-keeps-busy/article_0242d335-7d44-5513-a270-7e0e2c6400ac.html |title=The New York Times reporter, ex-DN editor Zeleny keeps busy on road covering Obama campaign |last1=Crowl |first1=Jonathan |work=The Daily Nebraskan |date=October 31, 2008 |access-date=September 3, 2014}} He covered the presidential campaigns in 2000 and 2004 for the paper. While at the Tribune, he won the Pulitzer Prize for Explanatory Journalism for his work on a series about air traffic control problems nationwide.{{cite web |url=https://reportersinfo.com/reporter/jeff-zeleny |title=Jeff Zeleny |publisher=Reporter's Info |date=March 16, 2016 |access-date=January 24, 2017}}
In 2006, The New York Times hired him to cover politics, and he covered the 2012 presidential election for the paper, while being its lead reporter. At President Barack Obama's 100-day press conference in April 2009, Zeleny received attention from media blogs for asking President Obama how he was "surprised, troubled, enchanted, and humbled" during his first days in office.{{cite web |url=http://content.usatoday.com/communities/theoval/post/2009/04/66209431/ |title=Your thoughts on the 'enchanted' question for Obama? |last1=Jackson |first1=David |work=USA Today |date=April 30, 2009 |access-date=January 24, 2017}}
Zeleny was hired in February 2013 by ABC News to be its senior Washington correspondent and to file stories for the website.
Zeleny was honored by The Stuttering Foundation in May 2013.{{Cite web|title=Stuttering Foundation Honors Jeff Zeleny|url=https://www.stutteringhelp.org/content/stuttering-foundation-honors-jeff-zeleny|access-date=August 24, 2020|website=Stuttering Foundation: A Nonprofit Organization Helping Those Who Stutter|date=May 9, 2013 |language=en}}
He joined CNN in March 2015, and in January 2017 was named Senior White House Correspondent.{{cite web |url=http://cnnpressroom.blogs.cnn.com/2017/01/18/cnn-announces-washington-correspondent-assignments/ |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20170119143624/http://cnnpressroom.blogs.cnn.com/2017/01/18/cnn-announces-washington-correspondent-assignments/ |url-status=dead |archive-date=January 19, 2017 |title=CNN Announces Washington Correspondent Assignments |publisher=CNN |date=January 18, 2017 |access-date=January 24, 2017}} In January 2021, Zeleny was named Chief National Affairs Correspondent.
References
{{Reflist}}
External links
- [https://web.archive.org/web/20140829145412/http://www.abcmedianet.com/web/bios/display_bios.aspx?bio_type=news_correspondents&bio_id=416 ABC Medianet biography]
- [https://web.archive.org/web/20150310145331/http://cnnpressroom.blogs.cnn.com/2015/03/03/jeff-zeleny-joins-cnn/ CNN Press Room press release]
- {{C-SPAN|1010892}}
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Category:University of Nebraska alumni
Category:American people of Bohemian descent
Category:American people of Moravian descent
Category:American television reporters and correspondents
Category:Pulitzer Prize winners