Judy Woodruff

Anchor, Judy Woodruff's Inside Politics
November 16, 2004 - 4:30pm
"A Behind-the-Scenes Look at the 2004 Election"
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127 Wall Street
November 16, 2004 - 2:30pm
Master's Tea
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434 College Street

About Judy Woodruff

Judy Woodruff, a veteran of broadcast journalism who joined CNN in 1993, anchors Judy Woodruff’s Inside Politics, the nation’s first program devoted exclusively to politics. Woodruff also anchors other major news events, including CNN’s “America Votes 2004,” the network’s coverage of the presidential race.

Woodruff brings years of experience covering politics to her weekday, one-hour program, having reported during every presidential election cycle since 1976. This year’s race marks the eighth presidential campaign Woodruff has covered since she began covering politics in Georgia, with then-Gov Jimmy Carter’s successful run for the White House in 1976. Through Inside Politics and “America Votes 2004,” Woodruff delivers the latest political news, interviews key players and travels to current political hotspots.

She also helps anchor breaking news and developing stories, including the network’s coverage of the war in Iraq in March 2003. Following the Sept. 11 terrorist attacks on the World Trade Center in New York and the Pentagon, Woodruff provided award-winning continuous coverage from Washington, D.C. She co-anchored the February 2003 Space Shuttle Columbia tragedy from Washington, D.C., on the day of the crash and later from NASA Headquarters in Houston to cover the memorial service and latest updates on the investigation.

The historic election to recall California Gov. Gray Davis dominated headlines for months and Woodruff took Inside Politics to Sacramento and Los Angeles many times to tell the story. In October 2003, she reported from winner Arnold Schwarzenegger’s headquarters on election night and followed the new governor to Sacramento months later to cover the inauguration ceremony. In October 2002, Woodruff led the network’s breaking news coverage of the death of Sen. Paul Wellstone, D-Minn., a story that shook the political community just weeks before the hotly contested midterm elections.

For “America Votes 2004,” Woodruff moderated the network’s first sponsored debate in Phoenix between the 2004 Democratic presidential candidates in October 2003. Earlier that year, Woodruff moderated a Children’s Defense Fund forum that brought together the Democratic presidential candidates together for the first time.

For CNN’s “Election 2000” coverage, Woodruff took part in multiple CNN-sponsored presidential debates and town halls in addition to co-anchoring election specials. She participated in the Phoenix Republican presidential debate in November 1999, the CNN and WMUR-TV/Imes Communications Republican presidential town hall meeting at Dartmouth College in October 1999, the CNN/WMUR-TV Republican presidential debate in January 2000, and the CNN/Los Angeles Times Republican presidential debate in March 2000.

In September 1995, she traveled to Beijing to cover the U.N. World Conference on Women. Woodruff moderated CNN’s first two “Global Forums,” international town meetings with former President Bill Clinton in 1994 and former President Jimmy Carter in 1995. She also anchored CNN’s coverage of former President Richard Nixon’s funeral.

Before joining CNN in 1993, Woodruff was the chief Washington correspondent for The MacNeil/Lehrer NewsHour. From 1984 to 1990, she anchored public television’s award-winning weekly documentary series Frontline with Judy Woodruff. During the 1988 presidential campaign, Woodruff moderated the vice presidential debate between Dan Quayle and Lloyd Bentsen.

Before joining the NewsHour, Woodruff was chief Washington, D.C., correspondent for NBC’s Today. She also served as NBC News’ White House correspondent from 1977 to 1982, covering both the Carter and Reagan administrations. Woodruff joined NBC News as a general assignment reporter based in Atlanta in 1975. From 1970 to 1974, she was a correspondent for WAGA-TV, the CBS affiliate in Atlanta, where she reported on the state legislature for five years and anchored the noon and evening news. Her book, This is Judy Woodruff at the White House, published in 1982 by Addison-Wesley, documents her experiences as a journalist.

CNN received the 2002 Edward R. Murrow Award in the Continuing Coverage category for its coverage of the Sept. 11 terrorist attacks, anchored by Woodruff and Aaron Brown. In 1997, Woodruff won the News and Documentary Emmy Award for outstanding instant coverage of a single breaking news story for CNN’s coverage of the Centennial Olympic Park bombing. In 1996, Woodruff and Bernard Shaw won the CableACE Award for Best Anchor Team for their work on Inside Politics. In 1995, Woodruff won the CableACE for Best Newscaster. In 1995, the Freedom Forum awarded Woodruff and her journalist husband, Al Hunt, the Allen H. Neuharth Award for Excellence in Journalism.

In October 2003, Woodruff received the International Matrix Award from the Association for Women in Communications. Also in 2003, Woodruff was inducted into the Georgia Association of Broadcasters Hall of Fame and honored by the Radio-Television News Directors Association and Foundation with the Leonard Zeidenberg First Amendment Award. In 1994, Woodruff became the first recipient of the National Women’s Hall of Fame President’s 21st Century Award. That same year, she and her husband were named “Washingtonians of the Year” by Washingtonian magazine for their fundraising work to fight spina bifida. And in 1986, for Woodruff’s series on national defense issues, the NewsHour was awarded the first Joan Shorenstein Barone Prize by the Washington Radio and Television Correspondents’ Association.

Woodruff is a founding co-chair of the International Women’s Media Foundation, an organization dedicated to promoting and encouraging women in communication industries worldwide. She serves on the boards of trustee of the Freedom Forum and Urban Institute.

Woodruff earned a bachelor’s degree from Duke University, where she is a trustee emerita.