Top 10 Journalists/News Reporters in the World
Several of the top 10 journalists are TV or radio hosts with popular shows, and many are known for their opinion-based political shows on cable channels. Others have penned columns for newspapers and magazines, including the New York Times.
Others have shaped the genre of journalism, such as photojournalist Frances Johnston.
1. Barbara Walters-One of the best journalists
Barbara Walters, a pioneer for women in broadcasting, changed news media as we know it. In 1976 she became the first woman to co-host a network evening news program, alongside Harry Reasoner on ABC’s Evening News. She went on to interview a wide range of world figures, including Boris Yeltsin, Fidel Castro and Monica Lewinsky.
While sexism was a barrier to her rise, Walters’ dedication to her craft brought important news stories to the public. Her fearlessness is a reminder of how journalism can be done well.
2. Anderson Cooper
A New York-born journalist of both affluent and modest origins, Anderson Cooper is the son of writer Wyatt Cooper and socialite Gloria Vanderbilt. He has used his family’s storied past to explore themes of loss and hardship in his work.
Unlike many of his TV contemporaries, Cooper isn’t afraid to be physically present in the midst of disasters. He was the first news anchor to step into the fray when Hurricane Katrina hit and he continues to be at the forefront of coverage of international tragedies.
He is a fearless interviewer who is not intimidated by powerful figures and is adept at getting his subjects to open up. His ability to capture human emotion and detail has earned him numerous journalism awards and his books, The Rainbow Comes and Goes and Dispatches From the Edge have both become best-sellers.
3. Lester Holt
NBC’s Lester Holt has long been one of the most influential news reporters in the world. He is famous for covering a wide range of stories and is known for his commitment to getting the facts right. He has anchored from the scenes of several breaking news events, including terrorist attacks in Europe and the 2018 Winter Olympics in Pyeongchang.
He has also covered the murder of journalist Marie Colvin in Syria and pushed back against claims that the media is biased toward the left. He has credited his wife Carol Hagen for her support throughout his career, even when she moved across the country and the globe to accompany him on reporting assignments.
While many of the journalists named have a background in print journalism, around one in seven (14%) work for a digital-born news organization. This reflects the increasing importance of social media in modern reporting.
4. Bill O’Reilly
Bill O’Reilly hosts arguably the highest-rated cable news show in America, The O’Reilly Factor. His show is characterized by its strong conservative political analysis and investigative reporting. In addition to his television work, O’Reilly writes books about historical topics including the popular Killing series, which covers the assassinations of U.S. Presidents Abraham Lincoln, John F. Kennedy, and George Patton.
In the United States, respondents pay particular attention to journalists who express a strong opinion and political partisanship. This is reflected in the top ten list where all of the journalists are from cable news channels such as Fox News and MSNBC. They also tend to be prolific across social media. This makes them visible to a much wider audience than traditional newspaper columnists. They often do more than simply report the news, they dissect it and provoke discussion and debate.
5. Ali Velshi
Ali Velshi is a senior economic and business correspondent for NBC News and MSNBC. He hosts the weeknight primetime business roundtable Your Money, as well as CNN International’s World Business Today and American Morning. He has also appeared on The Daily Show and The Oprah Winfrey Show.
From the muckraker articles of McClure’s around the turn of the 20th century to the present-day investigative journalism of the Washington Post and The New York Times, holding those in power accountable is one of the core strengths of journalists.
However, our data suggests that many people don’t name journalists when asked. And the names that do get mentioned are overwhelmingly male and largely from broadcast media like Fox, NBC, and MSNBC. This ‘politicisation of journalism’ may be part of the reason why trust in news is so low.
6. Rachel Maddow
As host of her own weekday show, Rachel Maddow is well-known for examining hard-hitting topics in an impartial manner. She demonstrates the importance of journalism in a time when political bias is increasingly prevalent.
She is one of the most respected American journalists of her generation for her fearless reporting on racial injustice. Her exposés of lynching in the southern US pushed societal norms at a time when the topic was not discussed in the media.
While a few of the most recognized news personalities are from print, a significant number work for broadcasters. This is especially true in Germany, where ARD and ZDF anchors feature prominently on the list.
7. Mike Wallace
A longtime 60 Minutes reporter, Mike Wallace’s aggressive and adversarial style often irked those interviewed but it also gave the public hope that liars could be caught and dangerous practices or wrongheaded policies could be stopped. His work won him 21 Emmy Awards and an array of other honors, including three Alfred I. duPont-Columbia University Awards, three George Foster Peabody Awards and a Robert F. Kennedy Journalism Award.
After starting out as a radio narrator and appearing in TV ads for Parliament cigarettes, the University of Michigan graduate went on to become one of television’s most formidable interviewers. In a career that spanned half a century, Wallace piqued the interest of presidents and kings, rock stars and sports figures. He was even able to get baseball star Roger Clemens on the record about his use of performance-enhancing drugs.
8. John Oliver
With his anthropomorphic diseased lung character Jeff, John Oliver has a unique approach to the world of journalism. Using his show to raise awareness on issues like modern-day slavery in the fishing industry, the journalist has gained a reputation for tackling tough topics with humour.
In the UK, Laura Kuenssberg and Robert Peston are regulars on TV screens – as well as having a large following on social media – and have earned their spots thanks to their fearless reporting of Brexit and the COVID-19 pandemic. The Guardian’s opinion columnists also make it into the top 10, a testament to the high online reach of their publication.
However, in the US, respondents are more likely to pay attention to journalists who express a strong political view and opinions. This is perhaps why over half of the top ten news personalities work for cable channels such as Fox and MSNBC.
9. Glenn Close
Actress Glenn Close has won Oscar, BAFTA and Golden Globe nominations as well as a Screen Actors Guild Award for her roles in films including The Big Chill, Dangerous Liaisons and Fatal Attraction. She also starred in the TV series The World According to Garp and wrote the screenplay for the Man Booker Prize-winning novel Albert Nobbs.
She is known for her undercover work exposing the mistreatment of patients in mental institutions. Her fearless investigations encouraged a more informed public and helped spark conversations that hadn’t happened before.
Cronkite became an iconic figure after presenting news bulletins for CBS, famously concluding his broadcasts with the catchphrase “And that’s the way it is.” He covered major events in American history, such as the assassination of John F Kennedy and the Apollo moon landings. He was also a war correspondent.
10. Glenn Beck
Glenn Beck has been a radio and television host for over two decades. He started in the industry at age 13 by winning a local radio station’s contest to be a disc jockey for an hour. Glenn soon began hosting his own talk show called The Glenn Beck Program which was broadcast on 47 radio stations nationwide.
In his broadcasts he takes a political conservative perspective and has built an enormous following among right-wing viewers. In 2012, Glenn launched his own cable network TheBlaze which airs his eponymous television and radio programs as well as 16 other original shows.
We find that more people named journalists from TV networks than print media, with the exception of Finland and Germany, where respondents mentioned a few journalists from a mix of newspapers including ZDF heute-journal and RTL aktuell. However, the number of journalists from printed outlets is still much lower than in other countries, including the UK and the US.
