Journalism isn’t an easy industry. While the conversation of “fake news” now dominates the jobs of journalists, it remains important now more than ever for the country to stay engaged and informed on what is happening in the world. Here to help keep the country knowledgeable are female journalists committed to storytelling – and they’re changing the industry while they’re at it.
1. Jemele Hill
Jemele Hill has experience in the newsroom and on the field. After graduating from Michigan State University, she went on to write for the Detroit Free Press and the Orlando Sentinel. Most recently, though, you’ll have seen her hosting SportsCenter on ESPN. What makes Hill notable now is her unapologetic attitude. She made national headlines when she tweeted, “Donald Trump is a white supremacist who has largely surrounded himself w/ other white supremacists.” She didn’t back down when the press secretary, Sarah Huckabee Sanders, said she should be fired. This outspoken sports journalist fought for her job, and while reporting sports and politics may seem new to some, she’s making it known that it has always existed.
2. Ann Curry
Ann Curry graduated with a degree in journalism from the University of Oregon in 1978 and made a name for herself as a reporter and anchor, even earning two Emmy awards. She took a five-year break after leaving The Today Show in 2015, but is now back and better than ever. In a six-part PBS docuseries, We’ll Meet Again, which focuses on 12 stories of people searching for individuals who changed their lives is the true beauty of journalism: storytelling. Curry even explained it as, “a service profession… I’m in it to give, not to get.” Her tenacity to not give up is proof that journalists can come back from any setback.
3. Brianna Keilar
Brianna Keilar knows Washington. After double-majoring in mass communications and psychology at the University of California, Berkeley, she went on to be a White House correspondent, and later a freelance reporter for CBS Evening News Weekend Edition and CNN Newsource. What makes Keilar an important voice on air is her humility in difficult times. After someone tweeted that she lives in a media bubble in regards to President Trump’s controversy over a call to Myeshia Johnson, a Gold Star widow, Keilar let it be known that she does not. She replied back, “My husband is on his sixth deployment right now. You don’t know anything about me.” She put a human face to what can seem like mechanical journalism, which was refreshing.
4. Savannah Guthrie
Savannah Guthrie is not only a journalist, but also a lawyer. While she is now mainly known for co-hosting The Today Show, she started off at smaller news outlets covering big stories like the September 11th attacks and the 2001 anthrax attacks. She’s a force to be reckoned with and asks the tough questions, never backing down during interviews. Now she’s one-half of history in morning show broadcasting, marking the first time in The Today Show’s history that there have been two female anchors during that hour.
5. Hoda Kotb
After graduating from Virginia Tech with a degree in broadcast journalism, Kotb brought her talents to NBC. She’s currently pulling double duty as co-host with Savannah Guthrie during the first couple of hours of Today and with Kathie Lee Gifford during the fourth hour. She’s the epitome of the balancing act in the industry; She just adopted a baby girl and is writing books and winning Emmy awards — all while making sure the news gets covered in between.
In a world of fake news, these women keep it real.