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Reena Ninan named co-anchor of ABC's 'America This Morning' and 'World News Now'

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Reena Ninan has been named co-anchor of ABC's overnight and early morning news programs.

Ninan has filled in for several months on "World News Now" and "America This Morning" alongside co-anchor TJ Holmes. She now has both jobs, according to a memo ABC News President James Goldston sent to staffers Wednesday, according to LA Times.

The 35-year-old Ninan began her career at ABC News in 2012 as a correspondent in the Washington, DC, bureau. Her reporting included traveling with President Obama to Asia and with Secretary of State Hillary Rodham Clinton to the Middle East. She reported on the aftermath of the Moore, Oklahoma, tornado and the final weeks of Nelson Mandela’s life.

Ninan is an ambitious amateur chef and is currently trying to perfect her mother’s trademark fish curry. She speaks fluent Malayalam (the dialect from her family’s home state in Kerala in India) and studied Arabic and Hebrew. In her off-hours, she loves spending time with her four-year-old son, Jack; her two-and-a half-year-old daughter, Kate; and her husband, Kevin, who is a writer currently working on a book about China.

She covered Iraq war and the trial of Saddam Hussein for the Fox News Channel and had  been promoted as the Middle East Correspondent of Fox in 2007 in Jerusalem, Israel.

She reported live from the hotel compound that was car bombed by Al Qaeda in Baghdad. From Baghdad she interviewed Secretary of State Condoleezza Rice, General Casey, and Shiite Leader Adel Abdul Aziz.

Before becoming a correspondent, Ninan served as a producer in FNC's Washington, DC, bureau. In this role she assisted in the network's 2004 presidential election coverage, including the Iowa Caucus, the New Hampshire Primary and both the Democratic and Republican conventions.

Before joining Fox she worked as a producer for The Washington Post where she helped put print reporters on air.  She has also worked for Bloomberg News in Washington, covering the Treasury Department, IMF/World Bank and Congress.

While a student at George Washington University, she worked for CNN's political unit - on "Inside Politics," hosted by Judy Woodruff and Bernard Shaw - during the Clinton impeachment trial. As a student at the GWU was also editor-in-chief of the South Asian publication "Awaaz" and a fellow for the Center of the Study of the Presidency.

Ninan graduated with a degree in Political Communication.

Her parents, Mathew Ninan and molly live in Tamapa Florida. Her younger brother Tony is a businessman in Washington, DC.

 

ABC’s official bio

Reena Ninan is a general assignment correspondent based in Washington, DC. Ninan joined ABC News in 2012 and reports for "World News with Diane Sawyer," "Good Morning America," "Nightline," and other ABC broadcasts.

Previously, Ninan was the Middle East Correspondent for the Fox News Channel since 2007. In this role, she reported from around the world including Egypt, Iraq, Libya, Israel, Lebanon and India. In 2011, she reported on the Arab Spring and landed a coveted interview with Palestinian President Mahmoud Abbas before his push for Palestinian statehood at the UN. For her notable work as a female war correspondent, she was named one of Glamour magazine's "Women on the Front Lines" in July 2011.

At Fox News, Ninan was a Washington based producer. She covered the Iowa caucus, the New Hampshire primary, the publican National Convention and the Democratic National Convention in 2004. Ninan began her career as a live shot producer for The Washington Post.

Ninan holds a bachelor's degree in Political Communication with a minor in Women's Studies from The George Washington University, School of Media and Public Affairs.