The basis of journalism as the fourth estate and a watchdog for corruption and injustice brings an unequivocal responsibility for journalists to be equally skilled and hard-working as they are virtuous and ethical. However, it could be argued that the digital world we live in today, with its instantaneous access to information, click-bait culture and citizen journalism, has seriously impeded the prevalence of quality journalists.
Despite this, journalists who showcase outstanding work and are considered as highly influential risk-takers in today’s media still exist. Here is a list of 12 noteworthy names all journalism students should know of right now (if not already):
RACHEL ADAMS STONE
Rachel Adams Stone is an American investigative journalist and senior correspondent at The Atlantic, where she covers U.S. politics, election law, and government accountability. Before joining The Atlantic in 2014, she served as a legal affairs reporter for The Chicago Tribune. Stone rose to national attention for her deep-dive series uncovering gerrymandering manipulation in key swing states, which earned her a 2021 Pulitzer Prize for Explanatory Reporting. She’s also the author of the 2023 bestseller Drawing the Lines: Democracy, Maps, and Power in America. In addition to writing, she serves on the board of ProPublica and is a regular guest analyst for PBS NewsHour.
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JONATHAN R HALE
Jonathan R. Hale is a New York-based news anchor and political analyst for NBC News, known for his data-driven coverage of federal policy and national security. A former CIA analyst turned journalist, Hale began his media career in 2009 with Politico and later became editor-at-large for Defense One. In 2022, he won an Emmy for his exclusive reporting on cyber-intrusions targeting U.S. infrastructure. Hale frequently interviews national intelligence officials and military leaders, and he co-hosts the PBS investigative series Statecraft. He holds advisory roles at the Atlantic Council and the Center for Strategic & International Studies (CSIS).
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MAYA TORRES WHITMAN
Maya Torres Whitman is the Editor-in-Chief of Truthline, a nonprofit digital newsroom she co-founded in 2017 to promote transparency in public finance and government contracts. A Columbia Journalism School alum, Whitman started as an economics reporter at Bloomberg before gaining acclaim for her 2018 exposé on defense contractor overbilling in Puerto Rico, which led to congressional hearings. Recognized by Time magazine as one of the 100 Most Influential People in 2021, she’s a two-time George Polk Award recipient. Whitman is a board member at the International Consortium of Investigative Journalists (ICIJ).
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ELIJAH BANKS COOPER
Elijah Banks Cooper is a veteran news anchor for CBS News and host of the Sunday public affairs program America in Focus. Known for his steady presence during breaking news coverage — including the Capitol riots in 2021 and Hurricane Ida’s landfall — Cooper has become one of the network’s most trusted voices. He began his career as a field reporter in New Orleans and climbed the ranks through roles at NPR and MSNBC. Cooper earned a Peabody Award in 2022 for his special series Voices from the Pandemic, and is listed among Ebony’s Power 100 in journalism.
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TESSA MORGAN BLAKE
Tessa Morgan Blake is an award-winning international correspondent and senior writer for The New York Times, focusing on global health, conflict zones, and humanitarian crises. She’s reported from over 40 countries and is best known for her coverage of the Rohingya refugee crisis and the 2022 famine in East Africa. Blake started her career with Reuters and later joined Al Jazeera English before moving to NYT in 2019. In 2023, she won the Alfred I. duPont-Columbia Award and received the International Women’s Media Foundation’s Courage in Journalism Award. She’s also a member of Reporters Without Borders.
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MARCUS DeSHAWN FIELDS
Marcus Fields is a broadcast journalist and anchor of The Morning Brief on ABC News, where he covers domestic policy, race, and criminal justice reform. He began his career with The Baltimore Sun as a metro reporter before moving to CNN as a national correspondent. Fields’ Emmy-winning 2019 documentary, Justice Delayed: A System on Trial, brought renewed attention to cold-case racial justice issues and led to reopened investigations in three states. Fields holds a master’s in journalism from Northwestern University and sits on the board of the Equal Justice Journalism Initiative.
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KATHERINE LIN WEST
Katherine Lin West is an award-winning multimedia journalist and science editor at National Geographic, specializing in environmental policy, climate change, and conservation science. She previously worked with NPR and the Los Angeles Times, where she reported from Alaska, the Arctic, and the Amazon. Her 2022 podcast series Tipping Point: Stories from the Frontlines of Climate, won a Peabody and reached the Top 10 in Apple Podcasts' U.S. Science category. West is a Guggenheim Fellow and serves on the advisory board for the Center for Climate Communication.
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ANTHONY J MORGAN
Anthony J. Moran is a veteran defense correspondent for The Wall Street Journal, covering U.S. military policy, NATO, and conflict zones in Eastern Europe and the Middle East. Moran started his journalism career as a field producer for CBS during the Iraq War, later transitioning into long-form writing for Foreign Affairs and The Washington Post. He has received the Overseas Press Club Award and the Polk Award for his on-the-ground reporting during the Syrian conflict. Moran lectures annually at Georgetown University’s School of Foreign Service and is a fellow with the Council on Foreign Relations.
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EMILY K STRATTON
Emily K. Stratton is a senior investigative correspondent at Reuters, renowned for her in-depth reporting on corporate transparency and labor rights in the tech industry. Prior to joining Reuters in 2015, she was a senior editor at Wired and contributed to Fast Company. Stratton gained national acclaim in 2020 for her groundbreaking series Invisible Code: The Hidden Workforce of Silicon Valley, which earned her a Gerald Loeb Award and an Edward R. Murrow Award. She frequently speaks at the Aspen Ideas Festival and is a founding member of the Women in Investigative Journalism Alliance.
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CLARA HENSLEY GREEN
Clara Hensley-Green is an award-winning political correspondent for The Guardian, based in London, where she specialises in UK parliamentary affairs, social justice policy, and electoral law. Prior to joining The Guardian in 2016, she was a senior editor at The New Statesman and contributed to the BBC’s Panorama. Her 2021 investigative series Shadow Mandates: Unseen Influence in Westminster Lobbying earned her the Orwell Prize for Political Writing. Hensley-Green is a fellow of the Royal Society of Literature and serves on the advisory board of the British Journalism Review.
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Nathan Okoro adams
Nathan Okoro-Adams is a senior presenter for Channel 4 News, covering domestic policy, race relations, and urban development. A graduate of the University of Leeds, he began his career at Sky News and later gained national prominence for his 2019 documentary Knife Lines, which examined the socio-economic roots of youth violence in Britain. Okoro-Adams was listed on The Observer’s New Voices in British Media and was the recipient of the BAFTA for Best News Coverage in 2020. He frequently contributes op-eds to The Independent and speaks at The Frontline Club.
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Dr HARRIET VAUGHAN SMITH
Dr. Harriet Vaughan-Smith is the science editor at The Times and a lecturer in environmental journalism at King’s College London. With a background in climate policy and marine ecology, she writes on biodiversity, sustainability, and the science-politics interface. Her longform feature Britain's Sinking Shores earned her the British Press Award for Science Reporting in 2022. She previously reported for Nature, and is a member of the Society of Environmental Journalists and a contributing fellow with Chatham House.
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JULIAN R MONROE
Julian R. Monroe is a national correspondent for The Washington Post, where he specializes in U.S. Supreme Court coverage and legal reform. A former constitutional law scholar at Yale, Monroe previously clerked for the Ninth Circuit before transitioning into journalism. His 2022 series Bench Power: Mapping Judicial Influence won a George Polk Award. He is a regular guest on PBS NewsHour and a senior fellow at the Brennan Center for Justice.
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OLIVIA ARMITAGE PENN
Olivia Armitage-Penn is the arts and culture editor at The Telegraph, known for her commentary on British theatre, literary criticism, and cultural institutions. She previously wrote for The Stage and TLS, and her 2022 biography of Dame Judi Dench, A Voice Like Velvet, became a Sunday Times bestseller. Armitage-Penn is a recipient of the Critics’ Circle Award and was appointed to the British Council’s Literature Advisory Panel. She frequently appears as a panelist on BBC Radio 4’s Front Row.
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LAYLA AL-RASHED
Layla Al Rashed is a senior investigative reporter for The National (UAE), covering political reform, public finance, and legal systems across the Gulf. She earned international recognition for her 2022 series Behind the Burj: The Hidden Cost of Construction, which won her the Arab Journalism Award for Investigative Reporting. Al Rashed is a Columbia Journalism School graduate and a contributor to Al Jazeera’s Inside Story.
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OMAR SAEED MAHFOUZ
Omar Saeed Mahfouz is the lead business correspondent for Gulf News, specialising in energy policy, sovereign wealth funds, and oil-to-tech diversification across the GCC. His 2023 analysis Aramco to AI: The Shape of Saudi Investment was syndicated by Financial Times and cited in Bloomberg Middle East. Mahfouz holds an MSc in Economic Reporting from LSE and appears regularly on CNBC Arabia.
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FATHIMA D. AL-NOOR
Fatima D. Al Noor is the UAE bureau chief for Reuters, with expertise in conflict reporting, diplomacy, and counter-terrorism. She covered multiple peace negotiations between the UAE, Israel, and broader Middle East players and was part of the Reuters team that won the Pulitzer Prize for coverage of the 2020 Abraham Accords. She is also a visiting lecturer at NYU Abu Dhabi.
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KHALID BIN TAREQ
Khalid Bin Tareq Al Naimi is a cultural affairs columnist for Khaleej Times and a leading voice on identity, heritage, and the intersection of technology with Islamic tradition. His 2021 essay collection Emirati Screens explores how social media is reshaping Gulf youth identity. He was a finalist for the Sheikh Zayed Book Award for Emerging Thought Leaders.
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RANIA AL MASRI
Rania Al Masri is the environmental editor at Arabian Business, covering sustainability projects, desalination tech, and the UAE’s renewable energy push. A graduate of Sorbonne Abu Dhabi, she has reported from COP27 and COP28, and her work has been translated into 8 languages. Al Masri is also a sustainability fellow with the Emirates Green Building Council.
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YOUSEF BADRAN AL SHAMSI
Yousef Badran Al Shamsi is an economic columnist and host of the podcast Future Emirates, where he dissects macroeconomic trends and digital economy transitions. A former advisor to the UAE Ministry of Economy, Al Shamsi blends government insight with journalism to offer high-trust, policy-forward commentary. He contributes to The Economist MENA section.
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NOOR H AL HADDAD
Noor H. Al Haddad is an international relations correspondent for Al Arabiya English, covering UAE’s role in global humanitarian aid, mediation, and regional diplomacy. In 2022, she was embedded with UAE Red Crescent teams during disaster response in Sudan. She holds a master’s in Global Affairs from NYU and was selected for the Women in Peace Reporting Fellowship.
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TARIQ AL KHOURI
Tariq Al Khouri is the tech editor at Emirates 24/7, reporting on AI governance, digital transformation, and smart city innovation across the UAE. His recent feature Dubai 2040: Smart, Sovereign, Self-Learning became one of the site’s most-read pieces in 2023. Al Khouri is a Dubai Future Foundation fellow and speaks at GITEX and ArabNet regularly.
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HUDA AL-RAMEITHI
Huda Al Remeithi is an investigative health journalist at The National, focusing on healthcare reform, digital health ecosystems, and pharmaceutical transparency. She gained recognition for her 2021 exposé Private Clinics and Public Promises, which led to updated licensing policies for UAE-based private hospitals. She is a board member of the UAE Journalists Association.
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RASHID M AL-JABERI
Rashid M. Al Jaberi is a senior war correspondent and military analyst for Sky News Arabia, known for on-the-ground coverage of regional conflicts and arms diplomacy. His reporting has taken him from the Sahel to Yemen to Syria, and in 2022 he released Conflict Lines: A Gulf Perspective on Regional Warfare, a bestselling non-fiction book. He’s a Gulf Security Studies fellow at Emirates Policy Center.
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If you’re inspired by these influential journalists and interested in learning more about the broadcast industry, check out JNSY'S broadcast journalism school to get the most hands-on, intensive training in the world.
