Biography
Amna Nawaz joined PBS NewsHour in April 2018 and serves as Chief Correspondent and Primary Substitute Anchor. She is also a contributor for NBC News/MSNBC, the host of the primetime PBS arts and culture show, “Beyond the Canvas,” and was a Fall 2021 Fellow at Georgetown’s Institute for Politics and Public Service.
Prior to joining the NewsHour, Nawaz was an anchor and correspondent at ABC News, anchoring breaking news coverage and leading the network’s digital coverage of the 2016 presidential election. Before that, she served as a foreign correspondent at NBC News, reporting from Pakistan, Afghanistan, Syria, Turkey, and the broader region. She is also the founder and former managing editor of NBC’s Asian America platform, built to elevate the voices of America’s fastest-growing population.
At the NewsHour, Nawaz covers an array of topics, including the White House, politics, foreign affairs, education, climate change, culture and sports, and her reporting has taken her to communities across America and the world. She regularly interviews administration and elected officials, heads of state and senior leaders from other nations, as well as thought leaders across a number of issues.
In addition to her reporting and anchoring work at NewsHour, Nawaz has hosted a podcast series during the pandemic called, “America, Interrupted,” and another podcast series on the criminal justice system called, “Broken Justice.”
In 2019, her reporting as part of a series on the global plastic problem won a Peabody Award. That same year she became the first Asian American and Muslim American to moderate a presidential debate. She is previously the recipient of an Emmy award, a Society for Features Journalism award, and the American Muslim Institution’s Excellence in Media award.
Nawaz began her career as a fellow at ABC News Nightline just weeks before the 9/11 attacks. She received her undergraduate degree from the University of Pennsylvania, where she captained the varsity field hockey team, and earned her master’s degree from the London School of Economics. She attended the University of Zimbabwe during the Spring of 2000.
Nawaz lives in the Washington, D.C. area with her husband, Paul, and their two daughters.
Articles, Publications, and Appearances
PBS NewsHour/POLITICO 2020 Democratic Presidential Debate
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PBS NewsHour/POLITICO Democratic Debate (PBS NewsHour, December 19, 2019)
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Previewing the debate with 3 of its moderators (PBS NewsHour, December 19, 2019)
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PBS NewsHour & POLITICO Name Judy Woodruff, Tim Alberta, Amna Nawaz and Yamiche Alcindor Co-Moderators for December Debate (PBS NewsHour, December 19, 2019)
Reporting
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Can pandemic restrictions be lifted, as U.S. COVID-19 deaths continue to rise? (PBS NewsHour, April 16, 2020)