STEVEN PORTNOY

ABC News Radio National Correspondent and Broadcast Journalism Leader

Steven Portnoy is one of America’s most respected and accomplished audio storytellers, with several decades of experience reporting from the nation’s capital. As ABC News Radio’s National Correspondent, he has brought listeners to the frontlines of American democracy—covering presidential inaugurations, congressional debates, Supreme Court oral arguments, and State of the Union addresses—with clarity, authority, and insight.

A past president of the White House Correspondents’ Association (WHCA), Portnoy spent seven years covering the Obama, Trump, and Biden administrations from the second row of the White House briefing room, offering trusted guidance through some of the most consequential moments in modern political history.

After more than eight years at CBS News—where he served as a congressional and White House correspondent—Portnoy returned to ABC News Radio in 2023. At CBS, he helped break major stories, including the prisoner swap that led to WNBA star Brittney Griner’s release, and reported extensively on the murder of George Polk for the acclaimed, three-hour documentary “Who Killed George Polk?”, reinforcing his commitment to preserving and illuminating broadcast history.

A master of live, real-time reporting, Portnoy anchored more than eight hours of award-winning coverage on January 6, 2021, earning widespread recognition for his calm and authoritative presence during the Capitol attack. He has anchored election night coverage, breaking news, and milestone events at both CBS and ABC.

Portnoy’s work has been honored with numerous Edward R. Murrow Awards for breaking news, continuing coverage, and overall excellence. His career began at ABC in 2002 as an intern with World News Tonight with Peter Jennings, followed by local reporting at WMAL-AM in Washington before becoming a national correspondent in 2006.

Among his many accolades, he was named a Peter Jennings Fellow by the National Constitution Center in 2008, received the Bayliss Horizon Award in 2005, and won the radio division of the Hearst Broadcast News Championships in 2001.

A proud graduate of Syracuse University’s S.I. Newhouse School of Public Communications, Portnoy gained early experience producing and reporting for WSYR-TV, WSTM-TV, and WSYR-AM.

With an unwavering commitment to journalistic integrity and a passion for preserving the legacy of broadcasting, Steven Portnoy remains a trusted voice in American journalism. He is a dedicated advocate for honoring the medium’s history and is frequently called upon as a moderator and panelist at industry events, where his insight, professionalism, and historical perspective continue to elevate and inspire the next generation of broadcasters.