Judy Woodruff
Broadcast Journalist
Judy Woodruff has covered politics and breaking news for over three decades at three major networks, at NBC, PBS and CNN. Woodruff left CNN full-time in June 2005 to step back from daily journalism and pursue longer-form journalism opportunities, but will continue to be a consultant and occasional contributor to CNN.
For 12 years, Woodruff served as anchor and senior correspondent for CNN, anchoring the weekday political program “Inside Politics.” What began as the nation’s first program devoted exclusively to politics, “Inside Politics” established a reputation as a must-watch show for political insiders and political junkies around the country. Woodruff shared anchor duties with Bernard Shaw for eight years, until 2001, when Shaw stepped back from his daily role at CNN.
Woodruff also anchored breaking news and developing stories for CNN throughout her career, including the Space Shuttle Columbia tragedy in 2003, the 1995 Oklahoma City bombing of the Alfred P. Murrah Federal Building and the Olympic Park bombing in 1996. Following the Sept. 11, 2001 terrorist attacks on the World Trade Center and the Pentagon, Woodruff provided award-winning continuous coverage from Washington, D.C.
Before joining CNN in 1993, Woodruff was the chief Washington correspondent for The MacNeil/Lehrer NewsHour on PBS. From 1984 to 1990, she anchored public television’s award-winning weekly documentary series Frontline with Judy Woodruff. During the 1988 presidential campaign, Woodruff moderated the vice presidential debate between Dan Quayle and Lloyd Bentsen.
Her book, This is Judy Woodruff at the White House, published in 1982 by Addison-Wesley, documents her experiences as a political journalist. From 1982 until 1983, she was the NBC Today Show Chief Washington correspondent.
In 1995, Woodruff won the CableACE for Best Newscaster. In 1995, the Freedom Forum awarded Woodruff and her journalist husband, Al Hunt, the Allen H. Neuharth Award for Excellence in Journalism. In 1991, she and Hunt were named "Washingtonians of the Year" by Washingtonian magazine for their fundraising work to fight spina bifida.
Woodruff is a founding co-chair of the International Women’s Media Foundation, an organization dedicated to promoting and encouraging women in communication industries worldwide. She serves on the boards of trustee of the Freedom Forum and the Urban Institute.
Woodruff earned a bachelor’s degree from Duke University, where she is a trustee emerita.
