Emmy Award-winning American journalist Norah O’Donnell has spent more than two decades covering news stories worldwide and conducting stimulating interviews. She is currently the anchor and managing editor of the “CBS Evening News,” anchor of CBS News election specials (including primary, debate, and election nights), and a correspondent for “60 Minutes.”
O’Donnell, the daughter of a doctor and a U.S. Army officer, was born in Washington, D.C. As a child, she spent time in Seoul, living in Yongsan Garrison where her father was assigned to work. It was there in elementary school that she first became interested in broadcasting by giving videotaped English lessons for the Korean Educational Development Institute.
After moving back to the United States, O’Donnell attended Georgetown University, where she graduated in 1995 with a Bachelor of Arts in philosophy. Later, in 2003, she also received a Master of Arts in liberal studies from Georgetown.
Before joining CBS, O’Donnell spent 12 years at NBC. She was a White House correspondent for NBC News, a commentator for the “Today Show,” Chief Washington Correspondent for MSNBC, a contributing anchor for “MSNBC Live,” and an anchor on “Weekend Today.”
Since joining CBS, O’Donnell has sat down with influential world leaders and several presidents, including the Saudi Crown Prince, South Korean President Moon Jae-in, and the Dalai Lama. She has interviewed Presidents Barack Obama, Donald Trump, and Joe Biden.
O’Donnell has received numerous awards and acclaim for her work in journalism. In 2022, she was awarded the prestigious Alfred I. duPont-Columbia University Award and the Scripps Howard Award for Excellence in Broadcast National/International Coverage for her in-depth multi-year investigation into sexual assault in the U.S. military.
This followed her Emmy win in 2018 for her six-month investigation and report on sexual assault in the Air Force Academy for “CBS This Morning.” For her “60 Minutes” report on the front lines of automotive industry factories rapidly pivoting from making cars to COVID-19 PPE and ventilators, she received the Headliner Award in Business and Consumer Reporting.
On April 8, 2022, O'Donnell extended her contract with CBS News to stay on as anchor of “CBS Evening News” through the 2024 election and afterward.