In 1996, Jim got married to Patricia Thompson. Patricia Thompson was a television producer and documentary filmmaker from United States. She was also popular for being the professor at American University in Paris. As a married couple, they have been parents once. However, on 22nd of December 2010 she was found dead and it broke hearts of millions.
Jim was a talented guy since he was a child. With the completion of his high school graduation, he joined Southern Illinois University and he finally earned his Bachelor of Science degree somewhere in 1970. In 1965, he joined Waukegan News-Sun where he worked as a reporter for about half a decade. After earning his undergraduate degree, he joined WTMJ-TV. He began working at WQED-TV since 1972 but that lasted for only a year. In 1978, he joined NBC News where he worked as a European correspondent for more than a decade. He also worked for ABC News as a Paris correspondent for about half a decade since 1990. He has been serving in CNN since 1996.