Veteran Journalist Jim Avila Passes Away at 69
Today, we remember Jim Avila, a highly respected journalist whose career spanned decades and left an indelible mark on American news reporting. Avila, who passed away at the age of 69 at his home in San Diego, had spent nearly a decade as a frontline reporter for CBS Chicago, where he became a familiar face and trusted voice for viewers across the region.
Born and raised in Illinois, Avila graduated from Glenbard East High School in Lombard. His career in journalism began at KCBS radio in San Francisco, followed by stints at KPIX-TV in the Bay Area and Chicago's ABC 7. From 1984 to 1994, he was a key member of the Channel 2 News team in Chicago, covering a remarkable range of stories that included politics, crime, and major local events. Avila was on the scene live at Northwestern Memorial Hospital when Mayor Harold Washington passed away in 1987, and he reported on the still-unsolved murder of college student Tammy Zywicki in 1992. His reporting also took him abroad, including coverage of the Persian Gulf War from Tel Aviv and Saudi Arabia, the TWA Flight 847 hijacking, and civil conflicts in Lebanon and Nicaragua.
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Following his tenure at CBS Chicago, Avila joined KNBC-TV in Los Angeles, where he became the principal reporter for the O.J. Simpson trial. His career then led him to NBC News as a national correspondent, reporting on landmark events including the September 11 attacks and covering conflicts in Iraq and Afghanistan. Later, at ABC News, he served as senior law and justice correspondent and White House reporter, covering key trials and the Obama administration from 2012 to 2016. One of his notable achievements included breaking the story of the reopening of diplomatic relations between the U.S. and Cuba, earning him the prestigious Merriman Award from the White House Correspondents Association.
Avila’s work earned him multiple Emmy and Edward R. Murrow Awards, along with the Cine Golden Eagle Award for compelling reporting on immigration issues. Even toward the later years of his career, he returned to local journalism, joining ABC’s San Diego affiliate KGTV as a senior investigative correspondent in 2023.
Jim Avila is survived by his three children, Jamie, Jenny, and Evan; his mother, Eve Simon; and his siblings, including fellow journalist Jaie Avila. His legacy is remembered not just in the awards he received, but in the stories he told with dedication, integrity, and an unwavering commitment to seeking the truth.
As the news community mourns his loss, it is clear that Jim Avila’s contributions to journalism will be remembered for generations—a career defined by courage, compassion, and a tireless pursuit of the stories that matter most.
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