New 'Today' anchor Guthrie a UA grad

Savannah Guthrie, center, was a UA commencement speaker in 2011. She has been named co-anchor of "TODAY" with Matt Lauer. (Photo by Patrick McArdle/UANews)

By Kate Harrison

UA School of Journalism

Savannah Guthrie, a 1993 UA School of Journalism graduate who co-hosts the third hour of NBC's "Today," has been named co-anchor of the show with Matt Lauer, the network announced June 29.

Guthrie joined the show in June 2011 after spending three years as NBC's White House correspondent and chief legal affairs reporter. In that role, she contributed to all NBC News properties, including "NBC Nightly News with Brian Williams," "Today" and MSNBC.

Covering the 2008 presidential elections, Guthrie travelled with Sarah Palin's campaign and was part of the NBC team that ultimately won an Emmy for its coverage on election night.

 

Prior to joining NBC News in September 2007, Guthrie was the legal affairs correspondent based in Washington, D.C. for "Court TV" from 2006-07. She joined "Court TV" from the law firm of Akin Gump Strauss Hauer and Feld where she focused on white-collar litigation.

Guthrie covered Congress, the Supreme Court and high-profile court proceedings including the Zacarias Moussaoui trial, the Scooter Libby case and the Samuel Alito confirmation hearings.

"Savannah was a terrific student whose thoughtful approach enabled her to challenge conventional wisdom and to bring important and original insights to her reporting and writing," said Jacqueline Sharkey, former director of the School of Journalism who had Guthrie in class in the early 1990s.