Bigad Shaban

Bigad Shaban is an award-winning investigative reporter for NBC Bay Area.

Bigad has been recognized for his work by several news organizations, including the National Academy of Television Arts and Sciences, Louisiana Associated Press, Society of Professional Journalists, Florida Associated Press, and the Iowa Broadcast News Association.

Most recently Bigad led an investigation into the misuse of school police officers and captured the attention of top officials at the White House. The investigation led to security changes in schools across the country and was recognized with a George Foster Peabody award, an Alfred I. duPont-Columbia University award, two Emmy awards and an Edward R. Murrow award.

Prior to joining the Investigate Unit, Bigad was a network correspondent for CBS News, based in Los Angeles. He reported for CBS Newspath, the network's 24-hour affiliate news service. In addition to providing coverage for CBS affiliates across the country and network news partners abroad, Bigad also filed reports for CBS national broadcasts, including The CBS Evening News, CBS This Morning, and CBS Sunday Morning.

Bigad has consistently been on the front lines of the nation's biggest stories, including the Asiana plane crash in San Francisco, and the devastating tornado in Moore, Oklahoma. He has covered the Oscars, major political elections, and some of the worst natural disasters in recent history. He also led the CBS coverage of the 2012 Summer Olympics as the network's only credentialed correspondent inside the London games.

Before joining CBS Newspath, Bigad reported for WWL-TV (CBS) and WVUE-TV (FOX) in New Orleans. His stories prompted government hearings, police investigations, and changes in state and local law. In 2010, he was the first reporter to break the news of the Deepwater Horizon oil rig leak in the Gulf of Mexico, after the U.S. Coast Guard initially announced no such leak existed. Prior to his work in New Orleans, Bigad reported for KGAN-TV (CBS) in Cedar Rapids, Iowa. There, he covered local and national politics, including the presidential campaign trail.

He graduated magna cum laude from the University of Florida with a Bachelor of Science in broadcast journalism and a Bachelor of Arts in political science.

Follow Bigad on Twitter at @BigadShaban and on Facebook at Facebook.com/BigadShaban.

The Latest

Investigative Unit Oct 7

Driverless cars can't get traffic tickets in CA, but new law offers compromise

Autonomous vehicles in California, long immune from receiving traffic tickets, will eventually be subject to a new type of enforcement following new legislation recently signed by Gov. Gavin Newsom.

Raj Salwan Vinnie Bacon mayoral race Fremont

Investigative Unit Sep 28

‘Fake' Yelp pages, lawsuits, and state fines: barbs fly in Fremont mayoral race

The race to become Fremont’s next mayor is getting contentious, with accusations flying between two of the top candidates.

A Waymo rider-only robotaxi is seen during a test ride in San Francisco on Dec. 9, 2022.

Investigative Unit Sep 5

Waymo's new website aims to prove its driverless cars are ‘world's most trusted' drivers

Waymo, the driverless car company owned by Google’s parent company Alphabet, has launched a new website touting the safety record of its fleet of hundreds of autonomous vehicles in California and Arizona.

California Sep 2

California DMV gears up to allow driverless trucks on highways despite calls to restrict high-tech big rigs

The California DMV has unveiled plans to eventually allow driverless trucks on highways across the state.

A San Francisco crossing guard walks into the crosswalk as a Waymo driverless vehicle approaches.

San Francisco Aug 16

San Francisco officials meet with Waymo to discuss school crossing guards' safety concerns

San Francisco transportation officials met with representatives from Waymo this week to address ongoing safety concerns from school crossing guards, who say they’ve almost been hit by the company’s driverless cars while ushering children and their families through crosswalks.

A view from the mostly abandoned Olympic Aquatics stadium at the Olympic Park on May 20, 2017 in Rio de Janeiro, Brazil. In the nine months after the Olympic games, very few events have been organized in the Olympic Park venues. The Olympic Aquatics stadium was to be dismantled, but it remains abandoned with no obvious signs of dismantlement. In addition, numerous areas of standing water can be found inside and outside the venue in the former official and training pools, making them dengue and zika risk areas.

2028 Los Angeles Olympics Aug 12

Olympic arenas often fall into disrepair, so LA vows to rely on existing venues in 2028

The Olympics are revered for their storied legacy, but there is one tradition that isn’t so celebrated – once opulent Olympic venues repeatedly neglected and turned into forgotten relics once the games are over.

Oakland Aug 4

Meat mess on Oakland freeway spurs calls for nationwide safety changes

Auto safety advocates are calling for stricter regulations on companies transporting animal byproducts after a truck spilled mounds of raw chicken parts across Oakland’s Interstate 880 freeway in May, causing four accidents and jamming traffic for hours.

Investigation Jul 30

SF mayor promises accountability after school crossing guards tell NBC Bay Area driverless cars almost hit them

San Francisco city officials plan to meet with leaders at the driverless car company Waymo next month to address safety concerns highlighted in a recent NBC Bay Area investigation, which revealed possible hazards posed by the company’s fleet of self-driving vehicles.

Energy Jul 18

Tech companies rake in $7.1 billion on quest to harness nuclear fusion as major energy source

Hotter temperatures and higher electricity bills are fueling massive investment around the world, including in California, toward a technology that could provide an endless, cheap supply of energy – nuclear fusion.