Judy Woodruff Honored with 2026 Missouri Honor Medal, Shares Career Insights with Journalism Students
Judy Woodruff, a distinguished political journalist known for her work across NBC, CNN, and PBS, was recently awarded the 2026 Missouri Honor Medal for Distinguished Service. As part of this recognition, Woodruff conducted master classes for students at the Missouri School of Journalism on September 23, 2026. During these sessions, she provided an overview of her extensive career, offering advice on navigating the evolving media landscape and the current political climate. Woodruff shared that her initial interest in politics was inspired by John F. Kennedy's call to public service. She recounted early career challenges, including being told she would be a 'coffee girl' on Capitol Hill and starting as a 'newsroom secretary,' before her persistence led her to cover the Georgia state legislature. This experience, despite a steep learning curve, was pivotal in her development as a journalist. She later became one of the first two women to co-anchor a national news broadcast for PBS NewsHour in 2013, alongside...
