Jarriel's investigative journalism highlighted critical global issues, particularly the plight of orphans in Romania.
Tom Jarriel, Esteemed ABC News Reporter, Passes Away at 89
Tom Jarriel, Esteemed ABC News Reporter, Passes Away at 89
Celebrated for his impactful reporting on "20/20," he also served as ABC's chief White House correspondent and anchored weekend news.
Tom Jarriel, a seasoned journalist and acclaimed reporter with ABC News, passed away on Thursday at the age of 89 in a nursing facility in Annapolis, Maryland. His son, Steve, confirmed the news, noting his father's struggle with a debilitating stroke last year.
Jarriel dedicated a remarkable 37 years to ABC News, garnering fame primarily for his work on the network's newsmagazine "20/20," where he joined in 1979. Over the years, he reported extensively on pressing global issues, including deep dives into the humanitarian crises in Mozambique, Cambodia, and Ethiopia.
His producer, Janice Tomlin, reflected on their time together, revealing that they rarely covered uplifting stories, with many focusing instead on the more dire circumstances affecting vulnerable populations. One of his career-defining projects involved a series of heart-wrenching reports on the mistreatment of orphans in Romania.
In these reports aired in 1990, Jarriel and Tomlin unveiled the shocking realities faced by thousands of neglected and malnourished children, hidden away in state-run institutions. "In more than 50 institutions hidden in remote areas of Romania, innocent children are locked away like condemned prisoners," he remarked in one of the broadcasts.
Tomlin poignantly recalled the horrors they discovered, describing children confined in cribs, some in straitjackets. "It was like Auschwitz. The children were dying from malnutrition and fixable things," she said. Jarriel's work not only earned him acclaim—he won a staggering 19 Emmy Awards—but helped shine a light on human rights abuses worldwide, solidifying his legacy in the field of journalism.
