Broadcast Journalist Adriana Diaz ’06 Is Hosting a ‘CBS Mornings’ Show

Broadcast journalist Adriana Diaz ’06 learned a crucial lesson about the power of storytelling when a friend read her application for the School of Public and International Affairs (SPIA), back when applications for the major were required, and told her, “This is not going to cut it.”

“She was like, ‘You need to find that story within you that is pushing you to want to better understand the world and have an impact,’” Diaz says. “I needed to put my heart into my work, and I’ve kept that with me ever since — in the scripts I write, in the stories we do, I always try to find a heart and put my own heart into it.”

Coming from a diverse high school in New York City, Diaz initially felt “a bit of culture shock” on Princeton’s campus at what she saw as a “lack of diversity,” so she considered transferring during her first year. That’s when she learned another big lesson that would affect her later in life: “There’s so much to be gained by being around people that are not like you, so much perspective to learn,” she says. “I had friends who had very different worldviews than I did and yet we were friends, and what I gained from that was I am comfortable as an adult in most rooms.”

Investigating people from different cultures and backgrounds with different perspectives ended up becoming a deep fascination for Diaz, and it led her to become a broadcast journalist. Even the lessons from her senior thesis, “United We Stand?” — about public opinion, how it’s shaped, and why so many people don’t understand each other— can be seen in her work.

As a former national correspondent at CBS, as well as the network’s Asia correspondent based in Beijing, she has reported on issues that are deeply complex and polarizing — like gun violence, social justice reform, immigration, and U.S.-China relations — while allowing for understanding and empathy.

“I love stories where I talk to everyday people ... when I get to tell someone’s story whose story is not often told,” Diaz says. She especially likes being able to connect with people and empower their voices. “I think going back to why I was drawn to Woody Woo [now SPIA], I’ve always felt that if we could step in each other’s shoes more, we may understand better why others, who we may think are so different than us, make the choices they make.”

Diaz’s hard work and in-depth reporting has now brought her to a new challenge: She just became the co-host of “CBS Mornings Plus,” the new third hour of “CBS Mornings.” As a fan of “CBS Mornings,” Diaz says actually being part of the show is a “dream.”

“We’re shaking things up and trying to create an hour that doesn’t look like any other hour on television,” she says, adding that the variety news show will feature the news of the day as well as the answers to questions viewers may not even know they have. “To be able to explore, to just let your brain run wild and help answer questions that aren’t your traditional news fodder is really exciting, and we’re having fun.”