John King, CNN’s chief national correspondent, will leave the 2016 presidential campaign trail on Wednesday, Feb. 24, at 7 p.m. for an appearance at Adelphi University in Garden City.
Billed as an “Evening with John King,” the one-hour program is free and open to the public. Seating is first-come, first-serve in the Thomas Dixon Lovely Ballroom, situated on the second floor of Adelphi’s Ruth S. Harley University Center. By the time CNN’s King arrives in Garden City, the outcomes of the New Hampshire, South Carolina and Nevada presidential contests will be known.
The event is sponsored by the William E. Simon Lecture in American Civilization and Values Endowment. Simon’s generous gift to Adelphi created a preeminent forum for world leaders who exemplify a commitment to the culture and beliefs that have shaped America, according to the institution’s website. CNN’s King is also teaching a master class to Adelphi students on that same day.
The Washington, D.C.-based King joined CNN in 1997 and served as CNN’s chief White House correspondent from 1999-2005. Soon thereafter, he became the cable news network’s chief national correspondent. King is today the anchor of Inside Politics segments weekday mornings on CNN’s New Day as well as a 30-minute Sunday morning program (Inside Politics, at 8:30 a.m.). It features a panel of top political correspondents talking about what they’re seeing and hearing.
Viewers who have tuned in to CNN for 2016’s presidential primary returns are familiar with King through his use of what’s known as the “Magic Wall.” The device offers a vivid visual breakdown of how voters are casting their ballots on a county-by-county basis. Before voting began in the 2016 election cycle, CNN hosted presidential debates which were among the highest-rated programs in CNN’s 35-plus year history. For example, more than 23 million people saw the CNN Republican presidential debate, which was held in September 2015 in Simi Valley, CA.
The one-time host of John King, USA launched State of the Union in January 2009. Jake Tapper now hosts CNN’s State of the Union, which airs on Sundays at 9 a.m. and then again at noon.
During the 2010 election cycle, King moderated gubernatorial debates in Massachusetts and Florida. He was also a member of CNN’s 2008 Peabody Award-winning political team, the same year in which he broke the news that U.S. Senator Barack Obama of Illinois had chosen U.S. Senator Joe Biden of Delaware as his vice presidential running mate.
Before joining CNN, King was an Associated Press (AP) correspondent, working in Rhode Island and Boston before transferring to Washington after the 1988 U.S. presidential election.
He has also covered international news. King, for instance, was among the first correspondents to report in 1991 from a liberated Kuwait after a consortium of nations ousted Iraqi forces from Kuwait. This explains in part why King received the top-reporting prize for his coverage of the 1991 Gulf War from the Associated Press Managing Editors’ Association.
A Boston native, King earned a bachelor’s degree in journalism from the University of Rhode Island (URI). He also has been awarded honorary doctorate degrees from URI and Hobart and William Smith Colleges in upstate New York.
Mike Barry, vice president of media relations for an insurance industry trade group, has worked in government and journalism. He can be reached at mfbarry@optonline.net. The views expressed in this column are not necessarily those of the publisher or Anton Media Group.
