Former CNN journalist returns to New Mexico

A native New Mexican who has reported from the frontlines during global conflicts and inside hospitals during the height of the COVID-19 pandemic is coming back to the Land of Enchantment.

Starting Jan. 26, Miguel Marquez will be co-anchoring KOAT's Action 7 News More in the Morning with Royale Dá and Eric Green.

"I love New Mexico," Marquez said in a phone interview. "I have a lot of family and friends here and with the state of our world and with the state of the media and with my connection to New Mexico, it just made a lot of sense."

Marquez, who was recently a CNN senior national correspondent, was born and raised in Santa Rosa. He went to the New Mexico Military Institute before getting a bachelor's degree in political science at the University of New Mexico and a master's degree in international affairs from Columbia University.

"We are just thrilled that Miguel Marquez is joining our KOAT family,"  KOAT President and General Manager Lori Waldon said in a statement. "Miguel's roots are here in New Mexico, and we are excited he's returning to his home state. He is an excellent journalist who will connect with our viewers. We're happy he's now a member of our strong morning news team."

Marquez said he looks forward to being in Albuquerque, and once he settles into the new role, he would like to be able to hit the road and "tell a fuller story of the state of New Mexico and what's happening in our country."

"It's a really interesting and sometimes scary time in our country, and I really hope that I can dig down a little deeper and gather the motivations that people have for what they're doing," he said.

Delving into important subjects is something Marquez has done throughout his career.

During his time with CNN, Marquez covered events ranging from the war in Ukraine, "reporting from the frontlines on the human toll and the conflict's far-reaching consequences," to the pandemic, where he reported from overwhelmed hospitals across the country, according to a KOAT news release.

"Getting access time and again to hospitals that were inundated with sick people, it was just unheard of," he said. "You cannot get into a hospital and film anything these days given the HIPAA laws, even then. ... But they were so desperate for people to understand what was happening during that time. It was a shock to see and ... it made me feel like that's why we are reporters, because you can tell stories of significance like that."

Marquez worked for the network on two separate occasions, including 2003, when he anchored for CNN Headline News in Atlanta before becoming a correspondent in Los Angeles, where he covered stories ranging from California wildfires to the first Michael Jackson trial, according to CNN.

Between CNN stints, Marquez was a correspondent for ABC News, based in London and Los Angeles. His reporting included coverage from Libya during the fall of Tripoli and Benghazi, Pope Francis’ first trip abroad to Rio de Janeiro and his election in Rome, and crisis zones in Afghanistan, Norway and Bahrain — where he was beaten by riot police during anti-government protests, the release states.

Prior to working with CNN and ABC News, Marquez was a CBS News desk assistant and a reporter for WNBC in New York City and KSAZ in Phoenix. Before getting into journalism, he was a legislative assistant in New Mexico to then-congressman Bill Richardson.

Gregory R.C. Hasman is a general assignment reporter and the Road Warrior. He can be reached at ghasman@abqjournal.com or 505-823-3820.