Jason Bellini

Jason Bellini is an American journalist, and until August 2008 was the lead news anchor for CBS News on Logo. He received the 2006 "Journalist of the Year" award from the National Lesbian and Gay Journalists Association (NLGJA). [http://www.nlgja.org/news/03october06.html] From 1998 to 2005, he worked as a CNN correspondent. He produced stories for CNN using an unconventional method: He hit the road on assignment with a hand-held digital camera and a laptop computer, which he used for editing. He often worked as a "one-man band," filing stories he produced himself from start to finish.

Professional career

1993: Bellini graduated from Chaparral High School in Scottsdale, Arizona where he was on the school Newspaper. He was a participant in the Hall of Friendship, an organization dedicated to cross cultural understanding between the Newspaper Staff and Foreign Exchange Students.

1997: Bellini earned a bachelor's degree in history from Georgetown University.

1998: Bellini began his career with CNN as a production assistant in the network's Washington, D.C., bureau.

1999: Bellini made his on-air debut with CNN Newsroom, now CNN Student News – CNN's news program for high school students. He also served as a field producer for CNN International, covering the NATO airstrikes against Yugoslavia. One of his Kosovo stories achieved Medalist Status in the 1999 New York Festival Awards.

2000: Bellini worked for MTV where he served as part of that network's "street team" for MTV's Choose or Lose election coverage that followed the presidential candidates on the campaign trail during Election 2000. He was also a freelance writer for Washingtonpost.com and Channel One News.

2001: Bellini spent months in New York covering the aftermath of the Sept. 11 terrorist attacks as the crisis evolved into an international war on terrorism. He later traveled to Central Asia to report on the story from Afghanistan. He also covered the Kashmir conflict from India. Bellini received a Gold medal from the New York Festivals for Jason's Journal: The Holy Land, a program he produced on the Israeli Palestinian conflict.

2003: Bellini reported as one of CNN's 18 embedded journalists during Operation Iraqi Freedom. He reported, often from the frontlines, from his position with the U.S. Marines. In February 2003, Bellini was part of the team of CNN correspondents and anchors that covered the breaking news story of the Space Shuttle Columbia tragedy.

2005: Bellini became the lead news anchor for "CBS News on Logo".

2007: Bellini hosts two podcasts available through the iTunes store: "CBS News on Logo" and "Jason Bellini's Here and Now", a self-described "vlog" (video blog).

Personal life

He is openly gay and is currently dating Will Wikle, of the American reality television show "Big Brother 5" fame. [cite web |url=http://www.afterelton.com/TV/2007/5/gaytvnewsmen?page=0%2C2
title=Gay Newsmen - A Clearer Picture
last=Hillis
first=James
date=2007-05-13
accessdate=2008-05-08] He confirmed on the January 12, 2007 edition of his podcast that the two are still together.

Jason is the older brother of CNN's Jarrett Bellini.

References

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