Leah Hope - ABC 7 Chicago
Leah Hope is an award-winning reporter for ABC 7 News, Chicago's Number One station for news. She focuses on special investigations and other important stories affecting the lives of Chicagoans. She joined ABC 7 in 1997.

Prior to joining ABC 7, Hope worked at KATU-TV, the ABC affiliate in Portland, Oregon. At KATU-TV, she anchored weekend evening newscasts and reported during the week. Previously, she held the same positions at WISH-TV in Indianapolis, Indiana. Hope began her broadcasting career as a general assignment reporter at WBOC-TV in Salisbury, Maryland.

Hope's work covering issues in the African American community has been honored on both national and local levels. In 2003, she won two awards from the National Association of Black Journalists (NABJ) for reports on a group of "Lost Boys" attacked by a Chicago gang and changes in the cosmetic industry that reflect the changing face of America. The NABJ Chicago Chapter awarded Hope the 2003 Russ Ewing Excellence in Journalism Award and recognized her again with the 2004 Excellence in Enterprise Journalism Award for a series of reports on affirmative action.

Hope received an Emmy award for the half-hour primetime special, "9/11/02 The New Homeland." She contributed to "People, Places, and Things You Should Know: Women in Science and Technology," which won the 2001 Gracie Award from American Women in Radio and Television. Hope has been awarded several Peter Lisagor Awards, given by the Society of Professional Journalists, for stories ranging from breaking news coverage to consumer and business reporting. She was honored by the Chicago chapter of the Council on Islamic American Relations with the 2007 Media Award for ethical reporting. Hope was honored as the 2013 recipient of the Diogenes Award for Excellence in media from the Better Business Bureau of Chicago and Northern Illinois. In addition to that she won an Emmy for reporting during the 2012 NATO Summit.

Hope is as a visiting faculty member at the Poynter Institute for Media Studies in St. Petersburg, Florida. She is a Journalism Advisory Board member at Columbia College and belongs to several journalism organizations including: Investigative Reporters and Editors Association, the National Association of Black Journalists, American Women in Radio and Television, the National Academy of Television Arts and Sciences.

Outside journalism, her community involvement includes work in the arts. She is a member of the Leadership Advisory Council at the Art Institute of Chicago, Museum of Contemporary Art and Instituto Cervantes of Chicago. Hope's charitable work took her to Minneapolis on bicycle to participate in the 2001 Chicago AIDS Ride. She has been involved in several breast cancer awareness campaigns to promote early detection.

Hope received her B.S. degree in Broadcast Journalism/Political Science from Syracuse University in New York. She is the great-granddaughter of John Hope; the first African-American president of Morehouse College in Atlanta, Ga. Hope is married and resides in the Chicago area.

Leah's Stories
Harvey man charged in killing of Chicago Police Officer Enrique Martinez due in court
The man charged with murdering Chicago Police Officer Enrique Martinez is set to appear in court Thursday.
Harvey man charged in killing of Chicago police Officer Enrique Martinez in East Chatham
On Wednesday afternoon CPD announced charges after a young officer was killed in the line of duty Monday night.
Chicago police officer killed in double fatal East Chatham shooting ID'd; 1 in custody
A young Chicago police officer was killed in the line of duty Monday night in the East Chatham neighborhood, and one person is in custody.
Early voters show out to elect new governor in Indiana | What to know about the candidates
The Lake County Board of Elections and Registration reports 77,000 people have already voted early.
Trooper hospitalized after I-57 crash in Morgan Park; all lanes reopened: ISP
All lanes of I-57 were reopened Monday afternoon after a trooper was hospitalized in a crash, ISP said.
Report finds South Side residents want to see reparations for descendants of slaves
The Chicago Urban League released a new report Tuesday on community reparations for descendants of slaves on Chicago's South Side.
PepsiCo abruptly closes plant on South Side, with hundreds of workers laid off
Hundreds of PepsiCo workers are being laid off after the company decided to close its plant in the Back of the Yards neighborhood Monday.
$2M settlement reached in case of CPS gym teacher accused of grooming, assaulting students: lawyers
A settlement has been reached in the case of an elementary gym teacher accused of grooming young students.
Chicago-area hospitals on alert for E. coli symptoms amid outbreak tied to McDonald's
ABC7 took a closer look at E. coli, the symptoms and why the outbreak could be more widespread than what's been reported.
Man wrongfully imprisoned for over 40 years files lawsuit against CPD, Cook County
A man wrongfully imprisoned for over 40 years filed a lawsuit Tuesday against Chicago police, several Cook County prosecutors, Cook County and the city of Chicago, his lawyers said.