In 2018, Amna Nawaz and Geoff Bennett were handed the PBS NewsHour baton from longtime anchor Judy Woodruff. Throughout her career as a journalist, Amna Nawaz has covered some of the most challenging stories of our day. Nawaz recently visited KPBS as part of KPBS’ 65th Birthday celebration. Evening Edition Anchor Maya Trabulsi sat down with her for this interview.
MAYA: As a person who typically seeks answers to your questions, I know that it's going to be different for you to be on this side of it.
AMNA: Very uncomfortable, but I'm in good hands.
MAYA: Thank you. So let's start with how you got the fire in your gut for storytelling. Who did you watch, listen to, or read that inspired this journalism?
AMNA: You know, I was encouraged as a child to ask questions. It's something my parents instilled in my sisters and in me, I think something they came to later regret because we got to be so good at asking questions. But, a lot of people may not know, my father was actually a journalist back in Pakistan. He used to anchor the English language evening news there. He covered war. He did documentaries and what he encouraged, in all of us, was to ask questions and know the power of your words. Like, understand that what you say and what you write carries a lot of weight.
So he never pushed us into journalism. I sort of fell into it (by) happenstance after taking an internship after graduating from college, and it was literally weeks before the 9/11 attacks. But for me, it was the first big story I covered, and it kind of set the pace for the rest of my career. I saw all the things my parents had taught me, which was, you have to ask questions and you have to know the power of your words.
So, I watched a lot of news growing up. You know, I had trailblazers like Cokie Roberts and Connie Chung to look up to. But, I never imagined I'd get into journalism until I fell into it.
MAYA: You worked for commercial and legacy stations before you came to public media. So what drew you to public media as a storyteller?
AMNA: Truly, it was the chance to be able to work closely with a legend like Judy Woodruff. To be able to sub in her chair when she was out on the road, to be able to continue to get out and tell stories in a thoughtful and nuanced way. I loved my time at the commercial networks. I had great bosses.
I had the ability to tell really important stories. I was a foreign correspondent for years and then covered domestic politics and stories as well. But there's something special about public media, and there's something special about the NewsHour. And it's a place where thoughtful storytelling and thoughtful conversations and an understanding that this world is not black and white are core to what we do.
We live in the gray, and I think we're so connected to our communities, like you here at KPBS, and all the member stations around the country, we understand there's an accountability there. And I think that connection, that responsibility that we feel to the communities we serve. I think it serves the journalism, too.
MAYA: What was it like for you to take the baton from Judy, you and Geoff (Bennett)?
AMNA: First of all, we can't say enough about Judy Woodruff, who is still at it, doing some incredible storytelling across the country about the divisions in this nation right now. And the reason I think that that happened so seamlessly and so smoothly, from the feedback we've gotten from the audience, is because of Judy and because of our executive producer, Sarah Just.hey knew it was a big transition. There's only ever been four people to sit in those chairs before. Geoff and I were handed responsibility for that desk, and we knew that it was going to be a big change for the audience. So, it was a moment for both of us, for Geoff and I, a real duty of responsibility. But also just excitement, because this is a brand that's been around for decades.
It was around before we were born. It's going to be around long after we're gone. And right now we get to have stewardship of this incredible institution. So we're excited to help write its next chapter. But we take it sort of very seriously every day.
MAYA: Yes, you take it seriously. You talk about the weight of responsibility. Can you think of a story that you've covered, that maybe you felt that quite so acutely?
AMNA: Well, there's so many. I mean, the last few years in particular, it feels like trying to report the news is like drinking from a fire hose every single day. There's just no shortage of stories. And it's a really, really difficult time to be a journalist because of that, I think. But it's also a wonderful time to be a journalist.
There are stories everywhere you look, just off the top of my head. I mean, you think back to some of the mass shootings that I've covered, right? That those are stories that deeply, deeply impact one community. Lives are forever changed. Policy is at play. Politics find their way into it. I can't imagine being anywhere else other than NewsHour and trying to report on some of these really difficult, emotional, fraught stories in the way that we're able to on that platform.
I think back to January 6th, I think about the live coverage we're on that day. When Judy Woodruff was anchoring Lisa Desjardins was inside the Capitol building. I was outside on the Capitol grounds, and we were live for several hours at a time, just reporting on what we were seeing and hearing and what people on the ground were telling us.
There's been moments in American history that I know will forever stay with us, that I feel really privileged to have been able to tell. And it's our job as journalists, as educators, to build those bridges, to get them the information they need so they can make decisions about their lives.
MAYA: And I can really feel the depth to which you feel that. So, thank you so very much.
AMNA: Thank you.
