Amna Nawaz

Amna Nawaz is an American broadcast journalist and a co-anchor of the PBS NewsHour alongside Geoff Bennett.[1] Before joining PBS in April 2018, Nawaz was an anchor and correspondent at ABC News and NBC News. She has received a number of awards, including an Emmy Award and a Society for Features Journalism award.

Amna Nawaz
Nawaz in 2022
Born (1979-09-18) September 18, 1979
Virginia, U.S.
EducationUniversity of Pennsylvania (BA)
London School of Economics (MS)
Occupation(s)Broadcast journalist, anchor, reporter, foreign correspondent
Known forPBS NewsHour, NBC News, Washington Week
Spouse
Paul Werdel
​
(m. 2007)​
Children2
RelativesAsif Nawaz Janjua (uncle)

Early life and career

Nawaz was born in Virginia on September 18, 1979, to Pakistani parents. Her father, Shuja Nawaz (brother of former Pakistani Army chief Asif Nawaz Janjua), had been a journalist in Pakistan.[2] She attended Thomas Jefferson High School for Science and Technology in Fairfax County, Virginia.[3] In 2001, she earned a bachelor's degree from the University of Pennsylvania in politics, philosophy, and economics, where she co-captained the women's varsity field hockey team.[4] She holds a master's degree in comparative politics from the London School of Economics.[5][6]

Nawaz's career plan was to become a lawyer but after a fellowship at ABC News, she shifted to journalism.[7] She initially worked for Nightline.[5]

Journalism

Nawaz joined NBC in 2003, later joining Dateline NBC, where she worked on documentaries.[5] At NBC's investigative unit, she was a producer of Mortgage Crisis Investigations, which was nominated for the 2008 Emmy Awards for Business & Financial Reporting.[5][8]

Nawaz received an International Reporting Project fellowship in 2009.[5] In 2010, she shared a News & Documentary Emmy Award for the NBC News special Inside the Obama White House.[9] Later she was correspondent and bureau chief at NBC's Islamabad bureau.[6]

Nawaz joined ABC News in 2015. She anchored U.S. election and national political coverage in 2016 and 2017. Nawaz also hosted the ABC podcast series Uncomfortable.[6] She joined PBS in April 2018.

Nawaz contributed as a correspondent on the PBS NewsHour's 2018 series The Plastic Problem, which received a Peabody Award in 2019.[10]

In December 2019, Nawaz became the first Asian American and first Muslim to moderate a United States presidential debate when she co-moderated a Democratic Party presidential debate.[11][12]

In June 2021, Nawaz became the PBS NewsHour's Chief Correspondent.[13]

Nawaz and Geoff Bennett have been co-anchors of the PBS NewsHour since January 2023, when they replaced Judy Woodruff.[14]

Nawaz is also a member of the Inter-American Dialogue, a Washington, District of Columbia based think tank.

Awards
  • News & Documentary Emmy Award for Outstanding Writing
  • Society for Features Journalism award
  • 2022 Peabody Award for her reporting of the shooting in Uvalde, Texas. [15]

References
  1. "About Us". PBS NewsHour. Retrieved January 3, 2023.
  2. "From War Zones to Cyberspace: A Q&A with journalist Amna Nawaz". Jade Magazine. Summer 2015. Archived from the original on August 25, 2019. Retrieved December 7, 2022.
  3. Cleary, Tom (December 19, 2019). "Amna Nawaz: 5 Fast Facts You Need to Know". Heavy. Retrieved August 19, 2022.
  4. Shaj, Matthew (April 26, 2011). "NBC producer, Penn alumna speaks on career". The Daily Pennsylvanian. Archived from the original on March 22, 2019. Retrieved December 7, 2022.
  5. "Amna Nawaz". International Reporting Project. 2009. Archived from the original on October 12, 2019. Retrieved December 7, 2022.
  6. "PBS NewsHour Names Judy Woodruff Solo Anchor" (Press release). Washington, DC: PBS. March 22, 2018. Retrieved April 12, 2018.
  7. Chan, Rosalie (August 28, 2015). "A Life of Risk: How Foreign Correspondent Amna Nawaz Became a Champion for Asian American Issues". Mochi Magazine. Retrieved December 7, 2022.
  8. "Nominations for the 6th Annual Emmy Awards for Business & Financial Reporting Announced" (Press release). New York: The National Academy of Television Arts & Sciences. November 3, 2008. Retrieved April 12, 2018.
  9. "The National Academy of Television Arts & Sciences Announces Winners at the 31st Annual News & Documentary Emmy Awards" (Press release). New York: The National Academy of Television Arts & Sciences. September 27, 2010. Retrieved April 12, 2018.
  10. "PBS NewsHour Named Recipient of Two Peabody Awards for "The Plastic Problem" and "Kept Out"". PBS. April 23, 2019. Retrieved May 14, 2021.
  11. Hunter Moyler (December 19, 2019). "Who are the moderators of the December Democratic debate? Judy Woodruff, Amna Nawaz, Yamiche Alcindor and Tim Alberta to question candidates". Newsweek. Retrieved December 20, 2019.
  12. Singh, Pia (January 14, 2020). "Meet Penn grad Amna Nawaz, the first Asian American to moderate a presidential debate". The Daily Pennsylvanian. Retrieved May 14, 2021.
  13. "Amna Nawaz Named Chief Correspondent for the PBS NewsHour". PBS NewsHour (Press release). PBS. June 17, 2021.
  14. "Amna Nawaz and Geoff Bennett Named Co-Anchors of PBS NewsHour" (Press release). PBS. November 16, 2022. Retrieved November 17, 2022.
  15. "83rd Peabody Award Nominees".
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