Ryan Young

CNN Senior National Correspondent

Emmy Award-winning Ryan Young is a Senior National Correspondent, based at CNN's Atlanta bureau.
Ryan Young Updated Headshot

About

Emmy Award-winning Ryan Young is a Senior National Correspondent, based at CNN’s Atlanta bureau. He reports extensively on law enforcement across America and covers diverse news stories across the U.S.

Recently, Young reported from Nashville as two Democratic members of the state house were expelled for participating in protests at the state Capitol calling for more gun control in the wake of the deadly mass shooting at a school, and he spoke with the two expelled members in the crowds. He reported on the ‘sense of pride’ felt across police ranks as officers across the U.S. hailed the quick, heroic Nashville law enforcement response to the deadly school shooting. He poignantly reported from Mississippi, as a sheriff rolled out reforms after deputies and an officer pleaded guilty to torturing two Black men.

Before joining CNN in 2015, Young was part of Atlanta’s Channel 2 Action News team. During his time in Atlanta, he worked closely with Law Enforcement, breaking several exclusives on major crime investigations and his work was directly involved in helping to catch hundreds of criminals. His live coverage of major breaking stories garnered several Emmy awards, including one for his piece on the chemical fire near Atlanta.

The Miami native got his first big TV break while still in college by hosting a syndicated sports show. After graduating from Florida State University with a bachelor’s degree in Media Production, Young went right to work at WTXL-TV in Tallahassee, where he kept local viewers in touch with a wide variety of big stories, including the 2002 Florida elections and Florida State University’s National Championship run.

As a reporter for WTOC-TV in Savannah, Young provided viewers with crucial, up-to-the-minute late-night reports, earning two Associated Press awards, one for best investigative piece that exposed dangerous cigarette lighters and the other for best spot news coverage of a major street collapse.

Young went on to tell the stories of people whose lives were torn apart by hurricanes Ivan and Frances, while working for WNCN-TV in Raleigh, N.C. While covering the problem of gangs in the state, he produced a groundbreaking report on gangs in the military, a story that earned him national recognition.