N.J. Burkett Biography
N.J. Burkett is an American journalist currently working as a correspondent for WABC-TV, the largest ABC television station in the United States of America. He joined the Eyewitness News team back in July 1989. Before joining the station, he worked at WFSB-TV in Hartford, Connecticut, where he had been a correspondent since 1986.
Burkett graduated with a B.A. in Political Science and a Master’s in International Affairs, both from Columbia University. Burkett’s unique storytelling, production skills, and award-winning international reporting have added a unique aspect to WABC-TV’s coverage of metropolitan New York.
N.J. has reported everything from war and diplomacy to crime and politics; from air crashes to natural disasters, race relations, and police brutality.
On September 11, 2001, after the two jets struck the World Trade Center, N.J. and his photographer narrowly escaped the collapse of the South Tower. Later on, their work was seen on television news broadcasts across the country and around the globe and is on permanent exhibit at the Newseum in Washington, DC.
Moreover, Burkett spent almost three months covering the war in Iraq in 2003, and the military build-up that led up to it. In addition, he covered the terrorist attack in Madrid (2004) and London (2005), the war between Israel and Hezbollah in Southern Lebanon (2006), the Israeli-Hamas War in Gaza (2009-10), and the three Israeli national elections and the death of Palestinian leader, Yasir Arafat (2004). Burkett witnessed the historic Israeli withdrawal from the Gaza Strip (2005) and chronicled the Palestinian popular uprising, known as the Intifadeh, in a series of overseas assignments from 2000-2004.
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Furthermore, N.J. was the only local New York television news correspondent to report from Japan following the historic 9.0 earthquake, tsunami, and nuclear accident in 2011, and the first among his workmates to report from Haiti after the earthquake there, in 2010.
Similarly, in New York, N.J. has been one of WABC-TV’s lead reporters for many of the region’s great stories, from Superstorm Sandy to the crash of TWA Flight 800, the landmark police misconduct trials and, the massacre at Sandy Hook Elementary School. When many of the homeless New Yorkers complained that the city’s municipal shelters were dangerous, N.J. went undercover for several weeks in the winter of 2001, disguised as a homeless man. He and an undercover photographer slept in New York’s most notorious men’s shelter.
Burkett’s work has been honored with several of the most prestigious awards in American television news. He is a two-time winner of the coveted Edward R. Murrow Award from the Radio Television Digital News Association (formerly the RTNDA), as well as a four-time Emmy Award winner, including the Emmy for Outstanding On-Camera Achievement in 2003 and 2007. He has also been nominated fifteen times for the Emmys.
Additionally, Burkett has shared the George Foster Peabody Award and the Alfred I. DuPont-Columbia University Award with his workmates at ABC News for his reporting on the September 11th terrorist attacks. In 2008, he was awarded the Allen B. DuMont Broadcaster of the Year Award by Montclair State University for his “notable contributions to the field of broadcasting.”
N.J. Burkett is the First Vice Chairman of the National Academy of Television Arts & Sciences, and a former Trustee and past President of the Academy’s flagship chapter in New York.
N.J. Burkett Age
How old is N.J. Burkett? Burkett is 61 years old as of 2023. He was born Newton-Jones Burkett, III, on May 6, 1962, in the City of Orange, New Jersey, in the United States of America. In addition, he celebrates his birthday on the 6th of May every year.
N.J. Burkett’s Parents
Burkett was born and raised in Elizabeth, City of Orange, New Jersey by his parents. His nationality is American and his ethnicity is white. However, he has managed to keep his life low-key. Therefore, he has not revealed any information about his father, mother, and siblings to the public. We are keeping tabs close to keep you updated as soon as the information surfaces in the public domain.
N.J. Burkett Wife
Burkett is happily married to his wife Margie Rice Burkett, Douglas Elliman East Norwich realtor. The pair tied the knot in a low-key wedding ceremony in 1998. Together they have two children, a son named Newton-Jones Burkett IV born in 1998, and a daughter named Amanda Burkett born in 2000. The family currently lives in Huntington, New York.
N.J. Burkett’s Height
Burkett stands approximately at a height of 5 feet 7 inches tall(1.7 m).
N.J. Burkett Salary
As a correspondent for WABC-TV, Burkett receives an average annual salary of $151,067.
N.J. Burkett Net Worth
Burkett has an estimated net worth of $12 Million. His income is mainly attributed to his successful career as a journalist.