Jiang was born in Xiamen, China to parents Liya Wei and Huade "John" Jiang, and immigrated with her family to America at the age of two. She was raised in Buckhannon, West Virginia where her parents, who are now retired, owned and operated Chinatown Restaurant. Jiang became interested in journalism after encouragement from an eighth-grade teacher. Together, they prepared a home-made TV show to submit to a competition run by the national student broadcast Channel One, leading to an opportunity for Jiang to intern as a student anchor and reporter in Los Angeles for two weeks. During high school, Jiang worked on the high school video news staff. In 2005 Jiang graduated from the College of William & Mary with a bachelor's degree in Philosophy and a minor in Chemistry. She worked on the student-run television station WMTV, and credits the university for developing her curiosity. She earned a Master's in broadcast journalism from Syracuse University, graduating in 2006. She was inducted into Newhouse School's Professional Gallery in 2012. On March 17, 2018, Jiang married Travis Luther Lowe, an executive at Yelp and a donor to Democratic Party candidates and causes, in Palm Springs, California. Jim Obergefell led the ceremony which also featured a Chinese tea ceremony. Jiang and Lowe had met in college, where they co-hosted a weekly campus television show. On December 2018, she gave birth to her daughter Frankie Mei.
Career
Jiang began in broadcasting at the age of 13 as a student reporter and anchor for Channel One News in Los Angeles, having won a student competition. After completing her broadcast journalist degree, she became a reporter for WBOC-TV between 2006 and 2008 before spending four years as a general assignment reporter at WJZ-TV in Baltimore. For her feature reporting at WBOC-TV she was honoured with an Edward R. Murrow Award and an Associated Press Award. During her 3-year stint at CBS New York as a general assignment reporter and fill-in anchor for WCBS-TV, Jiang covered major stories such as Superstorm Sandy, the Boston Marathon bombings, and the shootings at Sandy Hook Elementary. In 2013 WJZ-TV won a regional Emmy award in the 34th News & Documentary Emmy Awards for their coverage Newtown Tragedy, which Jiang was involved in. Jiang moved to Washington D.C. to become a correspondent for Newspath, the 24-hour news gathering service for CBS News. In 2014 Jiang was the Gala Dinner MC for the Outstanding 50 Asian Americans in Business Gala Dinner which also featured letters of support from then-president Barack Obama, Andrew Cuomo and Bill de Blasio. In 2018 Jiang became CBS News White House Correspondent, covering political stories including the President's summit with Russian President Vladimir Putin and the Mueller Probe. As part of her role, Jiang has travelled with the President, including on-board Air Force One. Jiang is a member of the Asian American Journalists Association. Jiang has been reporting during the COVID-19 pandemic, and attends the White House briefings.
Awards
2008 Edward R. Murrow Award: Outstanding Feature/Human Interest: "Gone But Not Forgotten " – Weijia Jiang and Tim Jones.
Confrontations with President Trump
Upon becoming a White House Correspondent in 2018, Jiang has found herself in numerous clashes with President Trump, often in response to her line of questioning. These interactions have amassed global news coverage questioning sensitive issues around racism.
On June 15, 2018, Jiang asked President Trump why he felt North Korea no longer posed a nuclear threat to which he raised his hand and said "Quiet" before remarking to another person, "She's so obnoxious".
On September 26, 2018, Jiang was told to "sit down" after repeatedly asking President Trump about Supreme Court nominee Brett Kavanaugh.
On March 17, 2020, Jiang reported that a "White House official referred to Coronavirus as the 'Kung-Flu' to my face."
On April 3, 2020, in response to Jiang's question about Jared Kushner's use of "our" to describe the federal government's stockpile of medical supplies, President Trump called it a "nasty question."
On April 19, 2020, when questioned on why President Trump did not warn Americans about the virus sooner, Jiang was told to "just relax" and to "keep your voice down".
On May 11, 2020, Jiang's questioned why there was an emphasis on competitively comparing coronavirus testing, President Trump responded "Don't ask me. Ask China that question." Jiang responded "Sir, why are you saying that to me, specifically?" to which Trump replied "I am not saying it specifically to anybody. I am saying it to anybody who would ask a nasty question like that." Trump abruptly left the press conference soon after this interaction.
