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CNN Correspondent Omar Jiminez's on-air arrest while covering the Minneapolis protests in the aftermath of George Floyd's death helped the news network earn an Emmy for breaking news coverage.
Omar Jimenez is used to taking risks to report from the heart of a developing story. In 2020, he became part of the story while reporting from Minneapolis after George Floyd's murder. The Medill School of Journalism alum was right on the scene amidst burning buildings, a raging pandemic, and aggressive police turning massive protests into violent clashes. Despite presenting press credentials and pleading with the Minnesota State Patrol, Jimenez, producer Bill Kirkos and camera operator Leonel Mendez were arrested on live television. Jimenez remained professional in the face of hostile police while reporting on a deadly instance of police brutality. "I tried to always frame what happened to me within the larger story of George Floyd and why we were there in the first place," Jimenez told the Chicago Tribune. "What happened to me was a microcosm of the larger story we were covering. At its core, it's an interaction between a member of the community and the police and how it can go terribly wrong." His diligent reporting for over a year helped CNN win an Emmy for Outstanding Breaking News Coverage of the death of George Floyd.