Janelle Richards
Producer
Nightly News with Lester Holt/NBC News
Columbia University, M.S.
Spelman College, B.A.
As a producer for Nightly News with Lester Holt, Janelle Richards has covered the most compelling stories of the last few years, including the Freddie Gray protests in Baltimore, the Charleston church shooting, and the Amtrak train derailment. Her work has led her to Havana, Cuba, where she covered last year’s opening of the U.S. Embassy and Ghana, West Africa, where she reported on the chocolate industry and cocoa farmers in the region.
Richards not only shoots video as a digital journalist, but also produces crashing day-of-air pieces for the broadcast.
The Path
Prior to working at Nightly News, Richards participated in the “News Associates Program,” a pioneering talent development program that aims to recruit a diverse group of talent to the network. While on the program, Richards rotations included Weekend Today show, theGrio.com and Nightly News with Brian Williams. The former International Center for Journalists fellow has covered education and women’s issues within the Black community.
Internships at CNN, WSB-TV, and CBS Newspath, as well as an on-air project with MTVU gave Richards invaluable experience. “Almost all of my internships were unpaid in media,” says Richards. “My advice to new journalists is to try to find opportunities in their hometowns so they don’t have to worry about rent right away in a new city or to work part time on media projects.”
@Janelle_News popular tweet
Amtrak train derailed. Loud crash. Smoke filled the train. People that were able to walk to an exit tried to get door open and climb off.
— Janelle (@JanelleRichards) May 13, 2015
