Chief Washington Correspondent and Anchor for Fox News Channel’s FOX News Live (Sundays 1 – 2 p.m. ET) Mike Emanuel COM’90 has traveled extensively around the globe reporting on some of the biggest stories of the past twenty-five plus years. He covered the U.S. on 9-11-2001, wars in both Afghanistan and Iraq, and the COVID-19 pandemic.

Tracing his professional success back to SC&I and Rutgers, Emanuel said every day he still uses the writing and communication skills he learned as a communication major at SC&I.

After Emanuel graduated from Rutgers, he worked as a reporter for several news stations in Texas before he relocated to Los Angeles. There he joined Fox News Channel in 1997. He began as a correspondent, and worked his way up to White House Correspondent, Chief Congressional Correspondent, and Senior Washington Correspondent before he took on his current role as Chief Washington Correspondent and News Anchor.

While a Rutgers student, Emanuel said he gained great experience as a broadcaster at WRSU-FM, the Rutgers student radio station, where he participated in the radio play-by-play for athletics. This year Emanuel was inducted into the Rutgers Hall of Distinguished Alumni.

Read our interview with Emanuel and learn about his career, his advice for students, and why he continues to give back to the SC&I community.

Do you apply what you learned as a Communication major at SC&I with your success at Fox News Channel, and if so, how?
Emanuel: My professors emphasized writing well and the importance of clear and effective communication. Those writing and communication skills I use every day as I craft my live reports for television, radio reports, and fine-tuning scripts when I anchor a program. As someone who studied public relations, messaging, and media coverage, that background helps me understand how political leaders from both parties are trying to sell their viewpoints on an issue. That has come in very handy as a White House Correspondent, Chief Congressional Correspondent, and now as Chief Washington Correspondent and Anchor.

How has working as a broadcast journalist changed from your days working as a journalist in Los Angeles and Texas?
Emanuel: Technology has improved dramatically, and everything has gotten faster. Now a story can break on social media or on any number of media outlets. I always strive to be first. But it’s important to be correct. So, it would be better to be a close second and 100% accurate than to be wrong. A high-profile mistake can damage your professional reputation and the credibility of your media outlet.

What are some of the rewards and challenges you’ve experienced during your career?
Emanuel: I’ve had the wonderful opportunity to travel across the country and around the world covering some of the biggest stories of the past twenty-five plus years. I traveled extensively with Presidents George W. Bush and Barack Obama including on Air Force One.

On September 11th, 2001, as the attacks were unfolding, I was doing live reports from the roof of our Washington bureau. Behind me, you could see smoke coming from the Pentagon. Later that day, I was live in front of the Pentagon shocked by the devastating events of 9/11. I also covered war in both Afghanistan and Iraq. Reporting and anchoring during the pandemic were also quite challenging since we were learning about COVID-19 as we were living it and had an important duty to inform our viewers.

Do you hope to inspire current Communication students to follow in your footsteps and pursue a career in broadcast journalism, and if so, what advice would you give them?
Emanuel: I give current Communication students the same advice my parents gave me. Find your passion. If it is in broadcast journalism, then give it everything you have to chase your dream in this very competitive field. If your passion and your goals are elsewhere, then do that. Work hard to get better at whatever you choose, have a great attitude, be eager to learn, and great achievements are possible.

Given your participation in SC&I Communication Department’s #BeComm Talk Show- what inspired you/ still inspires you to give back so much to SC&I?
Emanuel: I feel tremendous gratitude for the wonderful opportunities in my career. So, I enjoy trying to give back whenever my schedule allows by engaging with smart, talented, highly motivated students. On the visit for the #BeComm Talk Show, I ended up participating in three different events in about 18 hours at Rutgers. I left feeling really energized after speaking with so many intelligent and gifted students with their own big dreams.

Learn more about the Communication major at the School of Communication and Information on the website.

To learn more about Mike Emanuel COM”90, read:

An Exceptional Quintet of Rutgers Alumni 

Five Rutgers Alumni Tapped for Induction into the University’s Hall of Distinguished Alumni

From Rutgers Student Radio to the Front Row of History

Photos: Courtesy of the Rutgers University Foundation (top) and FOX News Channel.