Andrea Mitchell Offers Advice to Her Younger Self as She Reflects on 45 Years at NBC News (Exclusive)

Mitchell, 77, tells PEOPLE about her rise in journalism, the historic moments she'll never forget covering and which ongoing stories she's most passionate about right now

The political landscape that Andrea Mitchell covers today is far different from the one she reported on a half-century ago. But with each new presidential election, each prominent summit, each armed conflict, she was on the ground, extracting the state of play and delivering sharp analysis to viewers at home.

Mitchell, 77, became a key player at NBC News shortly after joining the team in 1978, when she was named the energy correspondent as the Iranian Revolution spawned a global oil crisis. Her focus shifted to Washington, D.C., at the start of Reagan's presidency, and she'd eventually take turns as the chief congressional and chief White House correspondent in subsequent administrations.

Now doing double duty as both the chief foreign affairs and chief Washington correspondent — while hosting long-running newscast Andrea Mitchell Reports on MSNBC — Mitchell is at the core of NBC News' political coverage, often reporting from abroad as she keeps tabs on foreign governments and international unrest. Recently, that's included the civil war in Sudan, Vladimir Putin's invasion of Ukraine and the aftermath of Hamas' Oct. 7 attack on southern Israel.

Though Mitchell is now one of several women leading in her field, she came up in journalism at a time when her aspirations had little precedent, forcing her to help clear a path that had only just started coming into view with the achievements of reporters like Nancy Dickerson, Judy Woodruff and Lesley Stahl.

"Not that long ago, 'woman journalist' was almost an oxymoron, especially in broadcast news," Mitchell wrote in a recent op-ed for The Washington Post. "When I applied for my first job, at an all-news radio station in Philadelphia in 1967, I was told the newsroom was no place for women. I talked them into hiring me for the overnight shift, where I’d be less 'disruptive.' I was so grateful to get my foot in the door, I hardly noticed my job title: 'copyboy.'"

As she celebrates 45 years with the network and 15 years of her eponymous weekday broadcast, Mitchell tells PEOPLE about her groundbreaking career, the lessons she's learned along the way and the developing stories she thinks everyone should follow.

Related: Kristen Welker Steps In as the New, History-Making Moderator of Meet the Press: 'She Is All In'

Forty-five years at NBC News is a remarkable milestone. What are some of the biggest stories you've covered and most memorable interviews you’ve done since joining the team?

Without question, the biggest story I’ve covered has been 9/11 and the ensuing “war on terror” in Afghanistan, Iraq and other parts of the world. Covering the worst terror attack on the American homeland, getting to the bottom of the administration’s intelligence about weapons of mass destruction, and reporting from Iraq, Iran, Afghanistan and Pakistan were all extremely challenging.

And, among the most memorable people I’ve interviewed throughout my career are former U.S. Presidents Ronald Reagan, Jimmy Carter and Bill Clinton, former U.K. Prime Minister Margaret Thatcher, former President of Cuba Fidel Castro, former U.S. Secretary of State Madeleine Albright, Bono, Elton John and Billie Jean King.

Related: The Inimitable Art of Lesley Stahl: Inside Her History-Making Career with '60 Minutes'

How have opportunities for women changed since you began your career in broadcast journalism?

When I first entered broadcast news, women had a hard time getting into radio or television newsrooms. When we did, our jobs were often limited to sidebar stories or features. Today, women are network anchors, leading correspondents on all the top beats, and at NBCU News Group, we have women as presidents of NBC News Editorial and MSNBC, and women in charge of flagship news brands NBC Nightly News, TODAY and Meet the Press. We’ve also always had a woman as executive producer of Andrea Mitchell Reports on MSNBC.

So many barriers have been broken through at almost all levels of the business. Parental leave is now a norm for men as well as women, and people are encouraged to take the time they need with a promise that their jobs will be there when they return.

Related: How 'Face the Nation' Host Margaret Brennan Became the Star of Sunday Mornings: 'I Didn't Ever Imagine It'

You have done a lot of reporting on the civil war in Sudan. What are people experiencing there right now and what compelled you to cover Sudan’s unrest, in particular?

Two decades ago, I traveled to the region with then-Secretary of State Condoleezza Rice and again in 2023 with the U.S. Ambassador to the United Nations Linda Thomas-Greenfield. There are hundreds of thousands of refugees from the renewed civil war in Sudan, they are being continually victimized by the same rival factions in an unending cycle of genocide.

Women and girls are raped, their husbands murdered, their sons conscripted for the opposing armies, their villages burned. The neighboring countries are destabilized and become vulnerable to Russian-backed militias or successive dictators.

We have to continue to shed light on this unfolding tragedy. Going to these regions and reporting on how people are suffering is something I can do, with the backing of NBC News on all our platforms, to shed light on an issue that can often be forgotten.

Related: U.N. Ambassador Says the Women of Iran 'Need to Hear from the World That We Have Their Backs'

You have also reported from Israel and the Palestinian territories in the past and stayed on top of the developing war since October. You were raised in a Jewish family — how are you navigating such a complicated story that has not only devastated countless families in the region but sparked acts of antisemitism and Islamophobia worldwide?

Covering the Middle East for 45 years, I spent a lot of time in Israel, the West Bank and the whole region. As a journalist, my devotion is to finding the facts and giving the people accurate information so they can be informed citizens. Covering this conflict is challenging for every human being of any religion or ethnic background.

The Hamas terror attack was horrifying. I forced myself to watch the footage of the attack to understand what occurred in graphic detail. Women were raped and tortured, 240 people were taken hostage and 1,200 were killed. And since Hamas started the war, untold thousands of civilian Palestinians in Gaza have been displaced with little food, water or fuel.

People are suffering on both sides. My job is to dig through the claims and counterclaims and do my best to convey the reality to our audiences. And one of my deep concerns is the alarming increase of Islamophobia and antisemitism and other forms of hate speech since the war here at home.

Related: Daughter Reflects on Late Palestinian Father's Dream for Peace in Gaza: 'Hamas Destroyed That Dream' (Exclusive)

If you could give your younger self one piece of advice when you entered this field of work, what would you say?

I would tell my younger self to be more self-confident, know my worth, demand equal pay, get more sleep and take more time off to be with my family.

Former first lady Barbara Bush once told the Wellesley College graduates that at the end of their life, they would never regret not taking one more test or closing one more deal but will regret time not spent with a husband, a child, a friend or a parent.

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