National Correspondent for CNN

Natasha Chen | Biography

Chen is a member of the Asian American Journalist Association (AAJC)

• By Chetana
• Update : August 17, 2021

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Natasha Chen is a 'Northwest Emmy Award’-winning CNN National Correspondent based in Atlanta, Georgia.

Who is Natasha Chen?

While studying, Natasha Chen started to work as an SAT instructor and tutor at Kaplan educational service from 2006 to 2009. She was also the supervising producer at Impact News Magazine Show from 2006 to 2008. Chen then worked briefly at ABC News as a general assignment intern in 2008. The same year she worked at News 21 as a Knight and Carnegie Foundations Fellowship holder.

Subsequently, from 2008 to 2009, she worked at the HuffingtonPost.com as an off the bus reporter, after which she moved to Texas to work for KXXV broadcast as a reporter and weekend anchor.

Chen left KXXV in 2010 and joined WREG-TV as a reporter and fill-in anchor in the Greater Memphis Area. She worked there for three years and began at KIRO TV as a reporter in Greater Seattle Area.

In 2017, she joined CNN Newsource in Washington D.C. She was responsible for providing original news to all CNN affiliate channels. At CNN, she was highlighted for her insightful reports on technology and public safety and North Korean refugees during President Trump's first meet with Kim Jong-Un in 2019.

In 2019, Chen became the national correspondent of CNN in Atlanta, Georgia. She has been covering the COVID-19 related news every weekend, along with business fluctuations, tenant and landlord situations, and effects on schools and immigrants during the pandemic.

Along with her academic merits, Chen has received a 'Nationwide College Television Award' for 'Outstanding News Magazine Show' from the Academy of Television Arts and Sciences in 2007. She also shares the 2015 'Northwest Emmy Award,' for the fatal Ride the Ducks crash coverage.

Early Bio

Natasha Chen was born on 19 July 1984 in San Francisco, California, and belonged to Asian ethnicity.  

Her father, Pisin Chen, is a Professor of Cosmology at National Taiwan University. He received four 'Blaise Pascal Chairs' in 2018 and became the first Taiwanese scientist to be recognized with the award in the scientific arena. His study focuses on black hole physics, cosmology, particle astrophysics, beam physics, and plasma physics.

Chen's brother Nick Chen is the co-founder and CEO of Pico Company. He was also featured under 'Forbes under 30' in 2021. 

Education

Chen went to San Mateo High School and graduated as the valedictorian of her class in 2002. She was the senior class president and the president of the San Mateo District Union of Associated Student Bodies.

After high school, she got into Stanford University and graduated with a Bachelor of Arts degree in Psychology and Creative Writing in 2006. During college, she was actively involved in the honor society in Psychology, Psi Chi, a capella team, Mixed Company A Cappella, Stanford Film Society, and the sorority group Phi Beta Kappa.

After Stanford, Chen joined the University of Southern California for post-graduation. She completed in 2008 with a Master of Arts degree in Broadcast Journalism. Her graduate thesis was a documentary on Taiwanese democracy with an exclusive interview of the President of Taiwan, conducted in the Mandarin language.

At the University, she was the Dean Scholar of her department and received the 'Simon T. Award' for 'Excellence in Broadcast Journalism,' and an 'Outstanding Broadcast Journalism Award.' She was also a member of the Graduate School of Journalism Student Association.

Career

Before embarking on her journalism career, Chen worked as an SAT instructor and tutor from 2006 to 2009 at Kaplan educational service in San Francisco Bay Area.

Alongside, she joined the Impact News Magazine Show as a supervising producer in late 2006. She left Impact News in 2008 and briefly worked as a general assignment intern at ABC News and as a Knight and Carnegie Foundations Fellowship holder at News 21.

From 2009 to 2009, she worked as an off the bus reporter at the HuffingtonPost.com.

She then worked at KXXV as a reporter and weekend anchor in Texas from 2009 to 2010. At KXXV, Chen anchored the 4 pm evening news every weekend and covered local stories, including the Fort Hood massacre and public safety related to health and transportation.

Then, in 2010, she joined the WREG-TV as a reporter and fill-in anchor in the Greater Memphis Area. There she covered local politics, breaking news, public safety topics and also performed daily live shots.

Chen joined KIRO TV in 2013 as a reporter in Greater Seattle Area. She was responsible for both on-air and online coverage of breaking news and led the broadcast's diversity initiative. She worked at KIRO TV until 2017 before she joined CNN.

CNN

Natasha Chen began as the Newsource of CNN in 2017 in the Washington D.C. Metro Area. Chen reported live news for all affiliate stations of CNN, including CNN International and HLN. 

At CNN, she was accredited for providing content on the intersection of technology and public safety and a North Korean refugee's perspective during President Trump's first meeting with Kim Jong-Un in 2019. She also reported congressional developments, mass shootings, storms, and wildfires for over 1,000 global affiliates of CNN.

In 2019, she was promoted as the National Correspondent of CNN in Atlanta, Georgia. She then began to cover and report the entire southeastern region on immigration, criminal activities, politics, natural disasters, and breaking news. She also started enterprising stories for the weekend newscasts and the CNN website.

In 2020, Chen actively covered the national Black Lives Matter events and protests, including Atlanta's response to Rayshard Brooks' death. Chen has also been covering the COVID-19 related news every weekend, including vaccine updates, business variations, tenant and landlord conditions, and effects on school and immigrants, during the pandemic.

Awards and Recognitions

While working at the Impact News Magazine Show, Chen won the ‘2007 Nationwide College Television Award' from the Academy of Television Arts and Sciences for 'Outstanding News Magazine Show.'

In 2015, she was one of the 'Northwest Emmy Award' winners for reporting the fatal Ride the Ducks crash.

Chen is also a member of the Asian American Journalist Association (AAJC).