Former inmate says more needs to be done about drugs in prison
The recent two-day lockdown at Stillwater caused by an inmate smoking an unknown substance underscored the limits of the mail pilot program and the risks of persistent drug smuggling.
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Jonah Kaplan is an award-winning correspondent and investigative journalist who has built a strong reputation for his balanced reporting, thoughtful interviews, and deeply researched coverage of high-impact issues affecting the communities across the country. Based in Minneapolis, his work appears on all of CBS News' programs and platforms, including the CBS Evening News, CBS Mornings and CBS 24/7.
There isn't much Jonah hasn't covered in his 20+ year career: he's interviewed U.S. Presidents and scores of top government officials, he's flown with the U.S. Air Force Hurricane Hunters, and was showered with confetti at the NBA Finals, among other memorable assignments. At CBS News, Jonah's reported on a wide range of stories around the Midwest, including the $1B Minnesota COVID Fraud scandal, and the mass shooting at Annunciation Church, and the federal immigration crackdown; Jonah's also contributed to CBS News' ongoing coverage of the Iran War and has broken multiple exclusive stories related to injured U.S. troops and the death of six American soldiers in Kuwait.
Prior to joining CBS News in February 2026, Jonah spent four years as an investigative reporter at WCCO-TV, the CBS-owned station in Minneapolis-Saint Paul. At WTVD-TV in Raleigh-Durham, Jonah led the market with his political reporting in the deeply purple state of North Carolina from 2016-2022. His other stops included WTMJ-TV in Milwaukee, WI, KSPR-TV in Springfield, MO, and KAUZ-TV in Wichita Falls, TX, where Jonah made his first appearance on CBS Evening News in 2009 during a historic Christmas Eve snowstorm.
Jonah has also spent time working on Capitol Hill, at NBC News London, as well as positions in sports broadcasting at ESPN and New York's YES Network. He graduated with honors from Boston University's College of Communication.
Jonah has earned and received dozens of national and regional awards for his reporting, including multiple Emmys and an Edward R. Murrow award, as well as sweeping top categories from the Radio Television Digital News Association (RTDNA) of the Carolinas, the Kansas City Press Club, and the Missouri Broadcasters Association. In 2013, he won the Wilbur Award from the Religion Communicators Council for his series Journey to Jerusalem.
Outside the newsroom, you can find Jonah still cheering on his hometown Philadelphia sports teams, playing tennis and ice hockey, or chanting and song leading with his guitar at area synagogues (he's a son of two rabbis!). He and his wife are the proud parents to three daughters.
The recent two-day lockdown at Stillwater caused by an inmate smoking an unknown substance underscored the limits of the mail pilot program and the risks of persistent drug smuggling.
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