Misty Severi is a breaking news reporter for the Washington Examiner, covering major stories and events happening in the nation’s capital and around the country. With years of experience reporting on politics, policy, and national affairs, Severi has established herself as one of the top journalists covering Washington today.
Misty Severi’s Background and Career Beginnings
Born in New Jersey, Misty Severi developed an interest in journalism and media from an early age. She attended American University in Washington, DC, graduating with a bachelor’s degree in print journalism in 2004. During her time in college, Severi gained experience interning for various publications and media outlets in the DC area, including stints at The Hill newspaper, NBC4 Washington, and Politico.
After college, Severi took a job as a staff writer at The Hill, where she covered congressional hearings and legislative affairs for two years. She then moved to CQ Roll Call, another political journalism outfit focused on Capitol Hill, as a politics reporter. Severi spent over 5 years at CQ Roll Call developing her beat on national politics and campaign coverage.
Read also: Why Nick Groff Left Ghost Adventures
Joining the Washington Examiner
In 2014, Severi was hired by the Washington Examiner as a campaign reporter and political analyst. The Examiner, a leading conservative paper in DC, was beefing up their political desk for the 2016 presidential election cycle. Severi brought her expertise and sourcing to provide in-depth coverage of the numerous Republicans vying for the nomination.
After the 2016 election, Severi became a breaking news reporter at the Examiner. She was drawn to the faster pace of covering major national stories as they developed, leveraging her background knowledge of politics and policymaking. In recent years, Severi has broken several high-profile stories for the Examiner.
Major Scoops and Reporting
As one of the Examiner’s top breaking news reporters, Misty Severi has delivered impactful coverage on some of the biggest stories shaping national politics and current events. Some highlights of her recent reporting include:
- Exclusive interviews—Severi frequently secures exclusive interviews with key Washington figures and newsmakers after major events. She has sat down with congressional leaders, White House officials, federal agency heads, and others to get their immediate reactions to unfolding situations.
- Administration changes – Severi has broken several stories regarding changes to personnel and policies within the administration. She was the first to report on the departures of multiple cabinet secretaries and senior staffers over the past two years.
- Election interference – Ahead of the 2020 election, Severi helped uncover previously unknown efforts by foreign entities to interfere in the presidential race through social media manipulation. Her reporting shed new light on threats to election security.
- Coronavirus response – Throughout the COVID-19 pandemic, Severi has provided in-depth coverage of the government’s handling of the public health and economic crises. She revealed internal debates within the administration on lockdowns, treatments, and other vital issues.
- Racial justice protests—In 2020, following the nationwide protests over racial injustice, Severi was on the ground reporting from demonstration sites around Washington, DC. She documented the local government’s law enforcement response and reform efforts.
Reporting Philosophy
As a breaking news reporter, Misty Severi recognizes the importance of speed but also values accuracy, context, and analysis in her journalism. She strives to get information out quickly when news is unfolding, while also taking care to verify sources and provide meaningful perspective for readers.
Severi takes pride in her ability to leverage her extensive background knowledge and connections to explain complex policies and political machinations in a digestible way. She works to build trust and rapport with sources across the political spectrum to ensure balanced, nuanced coverage.
When reporting under tight deadlines on developing situations, Severi focuses on delivering just the essential, verified facts to readers first. She then follows up with supplemental stories featuring color, commentary, and impact analysis once the initial frenzy subsides. This commitment to both breaking scoops and exploring deeper themes has made Severi one of Washington’s most respected journalists across the political divide.
Work and Analysis Appearing in the Examiner and Elsewhere
In addition to her daily reporting for the Washington Examiner, Misty Severi frequently contributes political analysis and commentary to the paper in regular columns and op-eds. She also offers insights as an experienced Washington reporter on both television and in other print publications.
Some examples of Severi’s analysis work include:
- Authoring the “Inside the Beltway” column for the Sunday Washington Examiner, providing an insider look at the week’s events in DC.
- Appearing as a subject matter expert on national politics on cable news programs, including MSNBC, CNN, and Fox News.
- Writing guest columns for national newspapers and magazines covering specific policy issues or political dynamics in Congress and the administration.
- Serving as a regular political analyst for radio shows and podcasts, such as NPR’s “Diane Rehm Show” and the Los Angeles Times’ “Politics on Tap.”
- Moderating discussions and panels at think tanks and universities on election coverage, changes in media, and the role of journalism in democracy.
Through her reporting and analysis, Severi delivers crucial insights into the workings of Washington that both inform and engage readers and audiences.
Covering the Biden Administration
As a White House correspondent since 2021, Misty Severi has continued breaking major news under the new Biden administration. She has provided in-depth reporting on Biden’s policy agenda and early initiatives, as well as personnel changes and internal dynamics within the administration.
Some of Severi’s notable stories covering President Biden include:
- Scooping cabinet nominations and appointments, including for secretaries of defense, treasury, and state.
- Revealing tensions between moderate and progressive factions within the Democratic party over legislative priorities and Biden’s agenda.
- Reporting extensively on the American Rescue Plan, an infrastructure bill, and other major legislative battles.
- Documenting Biden’s diplomatic efforts to restore relationships with U.S. allies strained under the previous administration.
- Providing insight into how the White House responded to crises like the Afghanistan withdrawal, rising inflation, and new COVID variants.
- Covering changes to key policies around immigration, climate change, and reproductive rights early in Biden’s term.
Severi’s well-established contacts and deep knowledge continue yielding insider scoops and rapid-response analysis of the new administration’s actions and challenges.
Awards and Honors
Throughout her accomplished career, Misty Severi has been recognized through various prestigious journalism awards and honors:
- Edward R. Murrow Award (2020) – for her investigative reporting on election interference by foreign entities.
- National Press Foundation Award (2019) – for excellence in political journalism for her campaign coverage leading up to the 2018 midterms.
- Regional Emmy Award (2018) – for contributing to NBC 4 Washington’s outstanding political reporting.
- Publication of the Year – CQ Roll Call (2013) – as part of the reporting team that earned the publication top honors for coverage of the 2012 elections.
- DC Press Club Rising Star Award (2008) – received early in her career for her political reporting chops.
Severi graduated with distinction from American University, inducted into the Kappa Tau Alpha National Honor Society for journalism. She has been a frequent guest lecturer at AU, discussing her experiences covering Washington.
What’s Next
As she continues covering the Biden administration and the new Congress, Misty Severi remains one of the top Washington reporters in journalism today. With her extensive connections, analytical mind, eye for scoops, and crisp prose, she delivers world-class political reporting to the Washington Examiner’s readership.
Looking ahead, Severi hopes to expand her platform even further – branching out with long-form features, broadcast analysis, and multimedia reporting. As ever, she aims to provide incisive, authoritative coverage of the people and policy issues shaping American politics and governance. For breaking news out of Washington, Misty Severi will continue to be one of the first names you read today and into the future.