Brian Ross

Brian Ross is one of the most honored and respected journalists in the country. As ABC News' Chief Investigative Correspondent, he reports extensively for "World News... Read More »

Brian Ross is one of the most honored and respected journalists in the country. As ABC News' Chief Investigative Correspondent, he reports extensively for "World News with Diane Sawyer," "Nightline," "Good Morning America," and "20/20," as well as for ABC News Radio and "The Blotter" on ABCNEWS.com. Ross joined ABC News in July 1994.

Ross's investigative reports have exposed corruption at all levels of government, led to changes in domestic laws and prompted reforms abroad. Ross and his team most recently made headlines and won an Edward R. Murrow award for their groundbreaking reports on auto company CEOs who flew in private jets to ask for public money in Washington.

When the Bernard Madoff scandal broke in December 2008, Ross was at the forefront of the investigation into this multi-billion dollar Ponzi scheme, breaking news on Madoff, his family and associates, and how the scam was perpetrated over so many years. Ross' extensive reporting on the subject led to his first book, "The Madoff Chronicles: Inside the Secret World of Bernie and Ruth," a "New York Times" best seller published in fall 2009.

In 2006 Ross broke the Mark Foley-congressional page scandal for ABC News, reporting the first details on "The Blotter" on ABCNEWS.com. Within a day of being questioned by ABC News, the congressman had resigned. Ross has received numerous honors for his reporting on this story, including an Emmy Award, a Peabody Award, a USC Annenberg Walter Cronkite Award, an IRE Award, the 2007 National Headliner Award for Television Affiliated Online Journalism, and the Online News Association Journalism Award.

Ross received the 2007 Edward R. Murrow award for investigative reporting for a two-part "20/20" undercover investigation into retail pharmacy errors, focusing on large drug store chains, including CVS and Walgreens . He was also honored with a 2007 Business Emmy for his work for exposing conflicts of interest of some West Virginia State Supreme court justices.

Well known for his work in national security reporting, Ross' was the first to reveal new details on the existence of secret CIA prisons in Eastern Europe, where top al Qaeda figures were held. The exclusive 3-part investigation, which aired on "World News" and "Nightline," garnered a 2005 George Polk Award, the fifth time he has won the award in his career.

His noted undercover investigation of nuclear smuggling which questioned whether American authorities could stop a shipment of radioactive material from entering the country earned him his third duPont Award, one of the most prestigious honors in journalism.

Ross has also reported extensively on international human rights abuses winning numerous top journalism awards for exposes on the sale of executed prisoners' kidneys in China; sweatshop labor in Saipan and sexual misconduct by U.N. peacekeepers in the Democratic Republic of Congo.

During the 2008 political season, Ross continued his award-winning "Money Trail" reporting, focusing on the corporate presence at the 2008 Democratic and Republican National Conventions. Ross and his team first launched the Emmy award-winning series at the 1996 conventions.

Following September 11, 2001, Ross and the Investigative Unit broke numerous stories about the investigation into the terrorist attacks and anthrax letters. Among several exclusive reports, Ross was the first reporter to name Mohammed Atta and describe him as the ringleader of the World Trade Center and Pentagon attacks. He was also the first to report on Zacarias Moussaoui's alleged role in the attacks and his questioning by the FBI prior to September 11th. His "Primetime Thursday" story about the hijacking of United Airlines Flight 93 featured the first airing of transmissions between the plane's cockpit and air traffic controllers.

In addition to filing for all ABC News' broadcasts, Ross files reports for ABC News Radio, available to 2,500 affiliates around the country. He also reports throughout the day for the Investigative Unit's website, "The Blotter," on ABCNEWS.com. Since launching in April 2006, the Blotter has quickly become one of the most popular destinations on ABCNEWS.com, receiving an average of 5 million readers a month.

Ross's work has been repeatedly honored with the most prestigious awards in journalism, including six duPont awards, five Peabody awards, five Polk awards, five awards from the Overseas Press Club, twelve Emmys and three Edward R. Murrow Awards and many more.

Prior to joining ABC News, Ross worked for 20 years at NBC News, reporting for the "NBC Nightly News" and "Dateline NBC."

In an award-winning two-part report for "Dateline NBC" in 1992, Ross exposed Wal-Mart's use of child labor in overseas sweatshops to provide clothing for their "Buy American" campaign. Ross also broke stories on the French Intelligence spying on American businessmen and was the first reporter to track down the fugitive Marc Rich at his Saint Moritz hideaway.

Ross solidified his reputation for investigative reporting by breaking stories such as the 1980 ABSCAM story, for which he was honored with a National Headliner Award. His exclusive report in March 1990 about Iraq trying to buy trigger mechanisms for nuclear weapons just months before the Iraqi invasion of Kuwait made headlines worldwide.

His five-part "NBC Nightly News" series on the Teamsters Union won the 1976 Sigma Delta Chi Award and a National Headliner Award. In 1977, he won a National Headliner Award for a five-part study of organized crime in the United States.

Ross began his professional career in 1971 as a reporter at KWWL-TV in Waterloo, Iowa. He later worked at WCKT-TV in Miami and WKYC-TV in Cleveland. He is a graduate of the University of Iowa.