The Charlotta Bass Journalism & Justice Lab invites you to our Lunch & Learn Series featuring guest Geoff Bennett. Geoff Bennett is co-anchor and co-managing editor of PBS NewsHour and a political contributor for NBC News. An award-winning journalist, he is known for incisive reporting and sharp analysis of the political and cultural forces shaping American life.

Bennett has covered six presidential elections and reported from the White House under three administrations. His exclusive interviews with some of Washington’s most influential figures have made national headlines. In 2023, he was part of the NewsHour team honored with a Peabody Award for coverage of the Israel–Hamas war. In 2025, he received a Walter Cronkite Award for Excellence in Journalism for the program’s “On Democracy” series. He joined PBS in 2021 from NBC News, where he served as a White House correspondent and frequent MSNBC anchor. At NBC, he was part of the team awarded the 2022 Edward R. Murrow Award for Overall Excellence.

Throughout his career, Bennett has appeared as a political analyst on ABC News, CBS News, and NPR, and previously hosted C-SPAN’s Washington Journal. He began his journalism career at ABC News’ World News Tonight with Peter Jennings after graduating from Morehouse College.
Committed to cultivating the next generation of journalists, Bennett established a scholarship at Morehouse for English and journalism majors. He also serves on the Board of Trustees of the Colonial Williamsburg Foundation, supporting the nation’s largest living history museum.

In March 2026, Bennett will publish his debut book, Black Out Loud: The Revolutionary History of Black Comedy from Vaudeville to ’90s Sitcoms (HarperCollins). It offers a sweeping, deeply researched exploration of the evolution and cultural impact of Black comedy in America.

He lives in the Washington, D.C., area with his wife, Dr. Beth Bennett, and their son.

This program is open to all eligible individuals. USC Annenberg operates all of its programs and activities consistent with the University’s Notice of Non-Discrimination. Eligibility is not determined based on race, sex, ethnicity, sexual orientation, or any other prohibited factor.

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