Adaora Udoji

Adaora Elizabeth Udoji (born 1967) is the co-host of The Takeaway with John Hockenberry and Adaora Udoji, a new public radio morning drive program set to launch in the Spring 2008 and created by Public Radio International (PRI) and WNYC New York Public Radio [ [http://www.pri.org/About/press-releases/takeaway-launch-pressrelease.html PRI.ORG | PRI and WNYC Radio's 'The Takeaway' to Launch ] ] . Previously, she was a host on Court TV. She is a former correspondent for CNN and ABC News and is based in New York City.

Born to father Godfrey Udoji, chief engineer for the city of Dearborn, Michigan, and mother Mary, director of Washtenaw County Library in Ann Arbor, Michigan, Udoji holds a Bachelor of Arts degree from the University of Michigan and a "Juris Doctor" degree from UCLA. In 2002, she married fellow television journalist Ron Allen of NBC News.

She joined ABC News in 1995, as an off-air reporter covering the O.J. Simpson criminal trial and other legal stories. In 1996 she became an associate producer for ABC News covering the presidential election, the TWA 800 crash, as well as working on documentary about death row. The network named her a foreign correspondent in 2000 where she was based in London reporting international stories covering Africa, the Middle East and Europe. She also contributed to "Good Morning America", "World News Weekend" and ABC Radio. In 2003, Udoji joined CNN, where she served as a New York based correspondent covering stories from the 2004 presidential election, Katrina, the West Virginia Sago mine disaster, among many others for the network's television and radio outlets. And on April 25, 2006, it was announced that she had signed with Court TV News as an anchor.

Major international assignments that Udoji has covered include the 2003 Iraq War (from the Persian Gulf and Iraq), the 2001 war in Afghanistan (from Pakistan), the Israeli-Palestinian conflict (from Israel and Jordan) and events surrounding Pope John Paul II from Vatican City. She has also covered many sporting events, such as Wimbledon, The British Open and the Tour de France. In the United States, Udoji covered the 1996 Presidential campaign, the 1996 TWA Flight 800 incident and the O. J. Simpson criminal and civil trials. She was part of the team that won a CINE Eagle Award for an ABC prime time documentary about Death Row in 1997, and also participated as part of a CNN news team covering the aftermath of Hurricane Katrina in and around New Orleans, Louisiana for which the network won a Peabody Award. In February 2005, Udoji was named as a Woodrow Wilson Visiting Fellow. She also holds dual citizenship of both the United States and Ireland.

References

*cite web |url=http://www.ohiodominican.edu/about/arts/wilsonfellows.asp |title=Woodrow Wilson Visiting Fellows |work=OhioDominican.edu |accessdate=2007-06-19
*cite press release |url=http://forums.digitalmedianet.com/cgi-bin/displaywwugpost.fcgi?forum=dmn_news&post=060325194145.htm |title=Court TV News(SM) Announces Anchor Deal With Former CNN Correspondent and International Journalist Adaora Udoji |publisher=PRNewswire "via" DMN News |date=2006-04-25 |accessdate=2007-06-19
*cite news |url=http://nymag.com/nymetro/realestate/columns/realestate/10840/ |title=The $35,000-a-Month Rental |work=New York |first=S. Jhoanna |last=Robledo |date=2005-01-17 |accessdate=2007-06-19
*cite news |url=http://www.nytimes.com/2002/10/06/fashion/weddings/06UDOJ.html |title=Adaora Udoji and Ron Allen |work=The New York Times |date=2002-10-06 |accessdate=2007-06-19