C.J. LeMaster

For more than a decade, central Mississippians have welcomed C.J. LeMaster into their living rooms to break down the news of the day and hold the powerful accountable.

C.J. also co-anchors WLBT News at 5 p.m. alongside Maggie Wade.

Since he began serving as WLBT's lead investigative reporter in 2016, C.J. has uncovered misleading crime statistics from the Jackson Police Department, exposed a Rankin County elected official’s drunken behavior hours before he would face a felony rape charge, revealed a prison extortion scheme that stretched across the state and helped uncover misspending in Hinds County that led to the conviction of three people and the removal of an election commissioner from public office.

A scathing 3 On Your Side investigation into Jackson’s water crisis with Anthony Warren ended with the city firing the whistleblower in the case and demoting its public works director, who would later resign.

Most recently, a year-long inquiry into possible misuse of taxpayer dollars by Richland's mayor and Pearl's police chief through side jobs they held with Rankin County led to both men resigning from their city and county jobs. The piece also triggered an investigation from the State Auditor's office.

C.J.'s work has resulted in an Investigative Reporters & Editors Award, six Emmy nominations, twenty-two state awards and the First Amendment Award of Excellence five years in a row, highlighting his dogged use of public records in investigations. In a landmark case, the Mississippi Ethics Commission levied the largest judgment in state history against the city of Jackson for failing to produce public records to WLBT. His team has filed four public records complaints against agencies in the last eight years, winning three of them to help ensure greater transparency for residents in Mississippi.

Before coming to the Capital City as a reporter and weekend anchor in December 2013, C.J. worked at WTVA/WLOV in Tupelo, Mississippi, for nearly a decade in several roles, some of that while pursuing a broadcast journalism degree from Mississippi State.

After graduation, he got hired as a reporter there and then went on to anchor some of the station’s top-rated newscasts.

C.J. was raised in Booneville, where he began his journalism career at Northeast Mississippi Community College. He worked in both print and television during his time in college.

When he’s not working, C.J. enjoys finding new restaurants in central Mississippi and exploring the area with a camera to support his photography habit.

If you have something you want C.J. to look into, email him at coleman.lemaster@wlbt.com.