ABC News has promoted Rachel Scott to the role of senior congressional correspondent.
In making the announcement, ABC News president Kim Godwin said that Scott, who has had a meteoric rise, “rightly takes her place as a senior member and leader of our unparalleled and formidable Washington team.”
Scott was a congressional correspondent before the promotion and the network’s White House correspondent and D.C. correspondent before that.
In the two years covering congress, Scott has covered the Jan. 6 insurrection, which also happened to be her first day covering the congress beat. She also covered President Donald Trump’s second impeachment, the passing of multiple pieces of legislation, including the American Rescue Plan, the Infrastructure Investment and Jobs Act, the Inflation Reduction Act, the Respect for Marriage Act, and the first major gun safety legislation in decades.
She most recently was part of the network’s coverage of the vote for House speaker.
Scott was also part of ABC News’ midterm election coverage, working the ‘Big Board’ alongside Rick Klein and Nate Silver.
“Rachel has also repeatedly brought her trusted voice to reporting outside the Beltway,” wrote Godwin. “She has received numerous awards for her relentless coverage of the state of abortion in America, both pre- and post-Dobbs, in communities across the country. She was also on the front lines during the racial unrest following George Floyd’s murder, providing weekslong, on-the-ground live coverage of the nationwide protests surrounding police brutality and COVID-19’s impact on communities of color. Rachel boldly pressed Russian President Vladimir Putin on human rights abuses in 2021 during a press conference in Switzerland. She also reported extensively on the 2020 presidential campaign trail, traveling thousands of miles covering both the Democratic Party primary and former President Donald Trump’s reelection campaign.
“Her work earned her three of the most prestigious journalism awards all in one year,” Godwin added. “Winning a Peabody for her coverage of abortion on ‘Nightline’; an Edward R. Murrow Award for her podcast series ‘Accountable,’ which she hosted with senior White House correspondent Mary Bruce; and the inaugural Emerging Journalist Emmy Award. She has also been recognized with the National Association of Black Journalists (NABJ) Emerging Journalist of the Year and Forbes’ 30 Under 30 list, both in 2020.”
Scott began her career as a production associate for the network’s streaming news platform ABC News Live in 2016. While working full-time as a producer for GMA digital, she took on an additional role as an on-air correspondent for ABC’s New Haven affiliate, covering weekend news in the region.
Read Godwin’s note to ABC News staff announcing Scott’s promotion:
Good morning, ABC News –
I wanted to share the exciting news that Rachel Scott has been promoted to senior congressional correspondent.
Rachel has had a meteoric rise at ABC News, and with this promotion, she rightly takes her place as a senior member and leader of our unparalleled and formidable Washington team.
In just two years covering Congress, Rachel has brought sharp, incisive reporting to a historically busy period at the Capitol. Rachel’s first day on the beat was Jan. 6, 2021, when she unexpectedly found herself providing live coverage of the unprecedented attack on the Capitol. She stayed with that story through the second impeachment of President Trump and, more recently, with expert coverage of the Jan. 6 hearings. Rachel has also led our coverage of the negotiations and ultimate passage of multiple pieces of significant legislation, including the American Rescue Plan, the Infrastructure Investment and Jobs Act, the Inflation Reduction Act, the Respect for Marriage Act, and the first major gun safety legislation in decades. Rachel is an integral part of our powerhouse political team, most recently working the ‘Big Board’ alongside Rick Klein and Nate Silver during midterm election night. And just this month, she provided superb, tireless coverage of the historic speaker fight through all 15 votes on the House floor.
Rachel has also repeatedly brought her trusted voice to reporting outside the Beltway. She has received numerous awards for her relentless coverage of the state of abortion in America, both pre- and post-Dobbs, in communities across the country. She was also on the front lines during the racial unrest following George Floyd’s murder, providing weekslong, on-the-ground live coverage of the nationwide protests surrounding police brutality and COVID-19’s impact on communities of color. Rachel boldly pressed Russian President Vladimir Putin on human rights abuses in 2021 during a press conference in Switzerland. She also reported extensively on the 2020 presidential campaign trail, traveling thousands of miles covering both the Democratic Party primary and former President Donald Trump’s reelection campaign. Her work earned her three of the most prestigious journalism awards all in one year, winning a Peabody for her coverage of abortion on “Nightline”; an Edward R. Murrow Award for her podcast series “Accountable,” which she hosted with senior White House correspondent Mary Bruce; and the inaugural Emerging Journalist Emmy Award. She has also been recognized with the National Association of Black Journalists (NABJ) Emerging Journalist of the Year and Forbes’ “30 Under 30” list, both in 2020.
Rachel is an exceptional teammate and colleague, and I look forward to seeing more impactful and thoughtful reporting from her. With another consequential election season right around the corner, Rachel and the entire Washington team’s straightforward journalism couldn’t be more valued.
Please join me in congratulating Rachel.
#oneabcnews
Kim