Award-winning journalist and Institute on Political Journalism alumna Nikole Killion is implementing the values and lessons she learned during her time at TFAS in her everyday life.
A general assignment reporter and substitute anchor, Killion works for both ABC 7, the ABC News affiliate in Washington, D.C. and News Channel 8, a local 24-hour cable news station.
She received her bachelor’s degree in broadcast journalism at Northwestern University, and then proceeded to pursue her Master’s in journalism at the Medill School of Journalism at Northwestern. Upon completion of her education, she worked as an assignment editor and field producer for NBC News in New York where she covered the World Trade Center collapse on 9/11. Killion has also worked on-air for Black Entertainment Television (BET), WKYT-TV in Lexington, KY and NY1 News.
She is also the former evening anchor at WHAG-TV in Hagerstown, MD, while she also served as a weekend anchor/reporter for WFMD NewsRadio/AM 930 in Frederick, MD. During her stint in Western Maryland, Nikole earned an Associated Press Award for Outstanding Specialty Reporting. Earlier this year, she was awarded a fellowship from the International Reporting Project at Johns Hopkins University, which allowed her to produce a multi-media interactive special report on HIV/AIDS, entitled Journey of Hope; Fighting AIDS in South Africa.
During her time at The Fund for American Studies, Killion interned at the CNN Washington bureau. She worked within the political unit assisting with shows like Crossfire, The Capital Gang and Reliable Sources.
“I absolutely loved the experience,” said Killion. “This was my first time in Washington and being in the presence of so many political newsmakers was simply a thrill for a news junkie like me. The internship also helped to prepare me for future broadcast journalism classes and internships.”
Killion is not only thankful for her internship, but also specifically remembers the advice she received from the veteran reporters and commentators that TFAS brought to speak with IPJ students. Killion remebers that one journalist “told the students that ‘news is the first draft of history.’ To this day, I still value that concept as a core principle of my daily reporting…to ensure accuracy and fairness in each story that I cover,” said Killion.