Jim DeFede

Jim DeFede is an investigative reporter and host of the Sunday morning public affairs program "Facing South Florida" for CBS News Miami. DeFede's journalism career spans decades and multiple platforms, beginning as a night cops reporter for The Spokesman-Review in Spokane, Washington. He spent 11 years as a staff writer for Miami New Times before becoming a metro columnist for The Miami Herald, and has contributed to national publications including Newsday, Mother Jones, The Daily Beast, The Independent, and The Times of London Sunday Magazine.

DeFede has covered Florida politics extensively, tracking every governor's race in the state since the early 1990s and reporting on presidential campaigns involving Donald Trump, Jeb Bush, and Marco Rubio. At CBS News Miami, he has reported, written, and produced more than a dozen documentaries addressing significant issues in Florida and across the nation. Notable works include "The Everglades: Where Politics, Money and Race Collide," a one-hour film examining the environmental impact of toxic blue-green algae in Lake Okeechobee, and "The Homestead Letters," a short film exploring the experiences of local schoolchildren living near a migrant detention camp.

DeFede's documentary coverage of the Champlain Towers South collapse in Surfside resulted in three hour-long specials: "Bonded By Tragedy: 30 Days in Surfside," "Surviving Surfside: Deven's Story," and "Surviving Surfside: Year One." These films provided insight into the experiences of families affected by the tragedy and earned DeFede a duPont-Columbia Award finalist nomination. He previously won a duPont-Columbia Award for his Everglades documentary and has received eight regional Emmy Awards and a Murrow Award during his time at CBS News Miami.

DeFede is also the author of "The Day The World Came To Town: 9/11 in Gander, Newfoundland," which tells the story of a Canadian town that hosted nearly 7,000 stranded airline passengers after the September 11 attacks. The book was recognized with a Christopher Award and inspired the Broadway musical "Come from Away." Another book, "The Chronicles of Willy and Sal," is an anthology of DeFede's investigative reporting on two individuals who became prominent figures in Miami's drug trade, with proceeds supporting local journalism at Miami New Times. DeFede's work spans breaking news, long-form documentary filmmaking, and narrative nonfiction, with a focus on investigative journalism and storytelling that examines social, political, and environmental issues.