O’Brien, María de la Soledad Teresa
1966-present · Contribution: 1991-present
Broadcast journalist; documentary producer
Anchored CNN’s American Morning and created the network’s landmark In America documentary series, including Black in America and Latino in America, before founding Starfish Media Group in 2013 to continue producing hard-hitting documentary journalism on race and inequality

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Quick facts
- Born
- 1966, Saint James, New York
- Active since
- 1991
- Category
- Press & Photography
- Best known for
- CNN's In America documentary series and Starfish Media Group
Impact on the world
O'Brien made race and inequality the sustained subject of prime-time documentary journalism, and her In America franchise became some of the most-watched documentary programming in CNN's history.
Sources
- Television Academy
1 more sources and references are available to members.
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