Meet the Newest and Youngest Chief White House Correspondent
Emily Barkann stands outside the Main Portico entrance to the West Wing of the White House after being named Chief White House Correspondent (Andrew McKeough/AKSM Photography).
Emily Barkann has officially replaced Garrett Whitton as Chief White House Correspondent and brings with her a professional suitcase of experience.
Article by Maddie Tyler, AKSM News
WASHINGTON - There is a new Chief White House Correspondent walking the halls of the West Wing. The news came after the announcement that Garrett Whitton would be transitioning to CBS News to serve as an anchor back in March. Whitton's last day was slated for Friday, May 20th which gave the team a little over two and a half months to find a replacement and begin the transition. "Selecting a Chief White House Correspondent is no easy task" said Annabel Mack, Senior White House Producer, "The talent in the position becomes the public face of the team for all things political and a lot of pressure comes with the position." Mack said that it just so happened that they were "blessed" when Emily Barkann seemed to appear out of nowhere. "She really did just appear out of thin air" Mack stated. "She didn't even apply." Mack stated that Barkann just so happened to be in the right place, at the right time, and was offered the position on the spot.
At just 25 years old, Emily Barkann is a network's dream. She comes with a background that would have any aspiring journalist dying for. Barkann chose Syracuse University's prestigious S.I. Newhouse School of Public Communications for her undergraduate career where she majored in broadcast and digital journalism and chose her minors in political science and sports management. She graduated with her bachelor's from Syracuse in 2019 and got to work.
Barkann – who has a passion for sports journalism – would start her career in broadcast at NFL Films as an Associate Producer on their show NFL 100 Greatest & All-Time Team. Her work on the show would payoff with a 2020 National Sports Emmy Award for Outstanding Trans-Media Sports Coverage. She would then transition to another Emmy-Award nominated series produced by HBO, Hard Knocks: Training Camp and Showtime's Inside the NFL.
As much as Barkann loved the sports world, she also had an interest in politics. In the midst of a global pandemic, Barkann decided to go back to school and chose to pursue a graduate degree in political science at Villanova University where she graduated with her master's in May of this year; and – if that doesn’t seem qualified enough – after being appointed as Chief White House Correspondent, she announced that she would begin working on her law degree in the Fall.
With her new appointment comes some new responsibilities; as Barkann officially transitions into the role she will also become Co-Director of the network's White House Student Correspondents program. The program gives college juniors and seniors the opportunity to get real-world experience as student correspondents, producers, and photojournalists. The competitive full-year program only takes three new students each year to join their team of six members. The program takes applications from both seniors and juniors and decides which students will fill the vacant positions left by the previously graduated students. Juniors who are selected are eligible for two year terms where – in their senior year – they mentor the new additions to the team and the process repeats the following year. Students write stories on the administration and produce full-length segments and packages which they are able to add to their news reel for distribution to future employers. The program has had success with students being placed at ABC and CBS affiliate stations across the county.
Barkann is not new to the world of giving back and public life. While at Syracuse, Barkann served as the President of the Panhellenic Council and currently supports her family’s foundation - The Barkann Family Healing Hearts Foundation - which supports families who have suffered sudden illnesses and losses. In 2020, Barkann also used her voice to call out online fast-fashion retailer SHEIN for selling a “Swastika Pendant Necklace.” Barkann used her voice and was quoted in a People Magazine article saying that, “It seems like no one has seen this disgusting and antisemitic product that SHEIN is selling. Time to boycott this company not only because of their unsustainable fast fashion, but their support of hate.”
Barkann officially took over the reigns from Whitton on May 24th and immediately started showing her talents. Barkann even took to social media to give viewers an insiders perspective into what it's like working at the White House. Her TikTok channel (@emwiththepinkbedroom) gained six thousand followers after her – now iconic – video hit almost 500 thousand views and 49 thousand likes in the first 24 hours. It was then announced that Barkann would also headline her own series, Emily @ the White House, which will replace Whitton's series, Nothing But The Facts, that premiered in January and gave viewers a weekly rundown and recap on events from both sides of the table. Where Whitton's show focused more on detailed news rundowns, Barkann's show is set to focus on the behind the scenes of the running of the Biden Administration and the policy initiatives in the works. Though no set premiere date has been announced, representatives say that it could come to screens as early as mid-July; and with the success of Barkann's social media – which has left viewers asking for more – it's sure to be another success for the already accomplished young journalist.