Norah O'Donnell
Norah O'Donnell | |
|---|---|
 | |
| Born | January 23, 1974 |
| Status | Married |
| Education | B.A., M.A.; Georgetown University[citation needed] |
| Occupation | Television news correspondent |
| Notable credit(s) | Chris Matthews, NBC Nightly News, Dateline NBC, Weekend Today |
| Title | Chief White House Correspondent |
| Spouse | Geoff Tracy |
| Children | Henry Tracy (twin) Grace Tracy (twin) Riley Norah Tracy |
Norah O'Donnell (born January 23, 1974) is an American print and television journalist, currently serving as the Chief White House Correspondent for CBS News in Washington, D.C., a position she has held since June 2011.[1]
Early life
O'Donnell was born in Washington, D.C. She graduated from Douglas MacArthur High School (San Antonio, Texas)[citation needed]. She holds a Bachelor of Arts in philosophy[citation needed]. and a masters degree in international affairs from Georgetown University[citation needed]..
Career
O'Donnell initially served as staff writer for Roll Call, where she covered Congress.
A commentator for the NBC News Today Show, Chief Washington Correspondent for MSNBC, and from September 2003 to May 2005, the White House correspondent for NBC News. O'Donnell was also a contributing anchor for MSNBC Live, and a rotating news anchor on Weekend Today. O'Donnell has done reports that have appeared on numerous NBC News broadcasts, including NBC Nightly News, The Today Show, Dateline NBC, and MSNBC. O'Donnell has also filled in for Chris Matthews as host of Hardball with Chris Matthews and was a regular pundit for The Chris Matthews Show. She also co-hosted the New York City St. Patrick's Day Parade on WNBC since 2007.
Since joining CBS, she has filled in for Scott Pelley on the CBS Evening News on October 10, 2011 and again on November 25, 2011.
Washingtonian Magazine has named O’Donnell as one of Washington’s 100 most powerful women. O’Donnell has also been named to Irish American Magazine’s 2000 “Top 100 Irish Americans” list.
Personal life
O'Donnell lives in Washington, D.C. with her husband, restaurateur Geoff Tracy, whom she married in June 2001. She is not related to former fellow NBC News correspondent Kelly O'Donnell or MSNBC political analyst Lawrence O'Donnell. On May 20, 2007,[2] Norah and her husband, Geoff Tracy (owner of D.C. restaurant, Chef Geoff's), became the parents of twins, whom they named Grace and Henry.[3] Their third child, daughter Riley Norah Tracy, was born on July 5, 2008; O'Donnell noted that her daughter's first name had been suggested by Tim Russert, who died three weeks prior to Riley's birth. O'Donnell and her husband Geoff Tracy made a cookbook for parents titled Baby Love: Healthy, Easy, Delicious Meals for Your Baby and Toddler, released on August 31, 2010.[4]
Awards
O'Donnell won the Sigma Delta Chi Award for Breaking News Coverage for the Dateline NBC story "DC In Crisis," which aired on the night of September 11, 2001.
She also won an Emmy for NBC News' Election Night coverage in 2008.
Criticism
O'Donnell was heavily criticized by conservatives for her interview of a Sarah Palin supporter attending a book signing. While speaking with people in the line, O'Donnell pointed out the inconsistency of Jackie Seal, a Palin supporter, wearing a shirt against the Emergency Economic Stabilization Act of 2008, which Palin supported. Several conservative hosts and bloggers, most notably Glenn Beck, criticized O'Donnell for the interview. O'Donnell wrote on Twitter that she had voted in the 2008 election; however, Jackie said she was 17 years old and therefore did not vote in the election.[5]
In April 2010, O'Donnell implied that Newt Gingrich had made racist comments at the Southern Republican Leadership Conference for a basketball reference he made when criticizing Barack Obama. In response, Gingrich said, "The left is becoming a parody of itself ... she immediately said that must be a racist comment. It's relatively hard to go from, 'we need somebody who is a good president more than somebody who shoots three points shots,' to, 'that must have been racist.'"[6]
References
- ^ Norah O'Donnell joins CBS News. Posted June 16, 2011. Retrieved June 20, 2011.
- ^ O'Donnell. Posted February 24, 2008; retrieved January 22, 2009
- ^ Lynch, Lorrie (2007-09-02). "Who's News: Norah O'Donnell". USA Weekend.
- ^ O'Donnell profile in The Washingtonian
- ^ Calderone, Michael (2009-11-20). "Palin fan responds to O'Donnell interview - Michael Calderone". Politico.Com. Retrieved 2010-05-02.
- ^ "Team Fox: Gingrich gripes about MSNBC's Norah O'Donnell". Washington Examiner. 2010-04-13. Retrieved 2010-05-02.