Mark Preston Biography
Mark Preston is the Vice President of Political & Special Events Programming and a Senior Political Analyst for CNN Worldwide. He provides non-partisan analysis on political landscape across all CNN platforms having joined CNN in 2005 as a political editor and has served in several positions including political director as well as executive editor.
With nearly three decades in journalism, he has had a front seat to the most historic political stories from Bush v. Gore and the rise of Barack Obama and Donald Trump. He has also produced more than 30 presidential debates including the 2007 CNN-YouTube presidential debates as well as the 2024 general presidential election debate between President Joe Biden and former President Donald Trump.
In addition, he has covered some of the nation’s most tragic events including the September 11 terrorist attacks, Parkland High School shooting and the unsuccessful January 6, 2020, efforts to prevent the orderly transition of power.
He has won several awards and recognition including a Peabody Award, Walter Cronkite Award for Excellence in TV Political Journalism, i-3 Mirror Award, National Headliner Award, multiple Webby Awards and 3 Emmy Awards.
Mark Preston Age and Family
Preston Preston was born on July 21, 1971 in Massachusetts to his parents Eugene Preston and Mary Preston. Not much is known about his childhood and siblings.
Is CNN Mark Preston Married?
Mark married his wife Meredith Ray Bonner on July 8, 2000 after being engaged for 7 months (got engaged on December 28, 1999). The couple first met while working for Marietta Daily Journal as reporters. No much public information is available about Meredith and their children.
Mark Preston Education
Mark holds a B.A. degree in journalism and history from the University of Massachusetts at Amherst. While there, he worked on the Massachusetts Daily Collegian and freelanced for the Associated Press. He also worked in the office of Senator Edward Kennedy. For his high school education, he attended Arlington High School, a public secondary school in Arlington, Massachusetts.
Mark Preston CNN – Political Analyst
Mark is a CNN senior political analyst as well as the vice president of Political & Special Events Programming where he conceptualizes and executes the network’s live political events including debates, town halls and political conventions. He serves as CNN’s primary contact with political campaigns at both the state and national level
He is behind the development of non-political elevision specials including “Juneteenth: A Global Celebration of Freedom,” “The Mark Twain Prize for American Humor,” “The Fourth In America,” “Shine A Light: the 20-Year Remembrance of 9/11,” and “Stand Up: The Students of Stoneman Douglas Demand Action.”
In addition to programming, he also serves as a political analyst and reporter. He co-hosted a weekly satellite radio program, Politics Inside Out, on Sirius XM alongside Chris Frates until July 2017 when he left to host his own political program, Full Stop with Mark Preston and the previous program was renamed to Politics Inside Out with Chris Frates. In addition, as a reporter he covered the U.S. Capitol during the September 11, 2001, terrorist attack, the subsequent 2001 anthrax attack, and the January 6, 2021 insurrection of the U.S. Capitol.
At the beginning of his career while based in Georgia, he reported on the death of Jon Benet Ramsey, bombing of a suburban-Atlanta abortion clinic, and the political fall of then-U.S. House Speaker Newt Gingrich. His reporting for the Marietta Daily Journal resulted in Freedom of Information Awards from the Georgia Press Association and Associated Press.
Prior to joining CNN, he worked a senior staff writer for Roll Call for six years as a congressional correspondent specializing in behind-the-scenes reporting . He also appeared as a guest political analyst on CNN, C-SPAN, FOX News Channel, ABC Radio, National Public Radio, Radio America, among others. He was also a correspondent at States News Service, a wire service in Washington, and at the Marietta Daily Journal in Marietta, Georgia.
Mark Preston Awards and Accolades
- Four Emmy Awards out of eight nominations
- A Walter Cronkite Award for Excellence in TV Political Journalism.
- His work contributed ti CNN earning Syracuse University’s i-3 Mirror Award for the YouTube presidential debates in 2008.
- National Headliner Award in 2009
- Multiple Webby Award honors
- Shory Award in 2013.
- EPPY Award in 2009.
- Georgia Freedom of Information reporting award.
What is Mark Preston Political Party
Mark hasn’t publicly declared his political affiliation.
How Much does Mark Earn on CNN
Being both a a CNN executive and political analyst, Mark earns an estimated annual base salary ranging between $800,000 – 1,000,000. He has an estimated net woth of $ 10,000 million.