20 Reporters Who Couldn't Hold Back Tears

2022 With the Russian invasion of Ukraine, many people have tragically lost loved ones whose stories have touched those across the world. In March 2022, CNN’s Erin Burnett spoke to Serhiy Perebyinis, who discovered his wife and children perished in a shelling attack in Irpin, Ukraine. To make it worse, he found out the terrible news through a photograph that circulated on Twitter. After talking about his wife and what she was like, Burnett broke as she spoke about him losing his kids. After taking a few moments to compose herself, Burnett continued the harrowing interview with watering eyes. Even the woman translating Perebyinis’s words struggled to get through the segment.

2023 The 2023 Turkey–Syria earthquake is one of the worst national disasters in modern history. Tens of thousands of people perished in the destruction, while hundreds of thousands were injured and many displaced from their homes. In February, the “Today” news program in Australia had Sarah Abo, an Australian-Syrian journalist, talk about the recovery process by the emergency services in the area. But when she spoke about her connection with the region and how people in the disaster feel like they’re being ignored as they request aid, Abo’s voice began to crack with anger, sadness, and frustration. Co-host Karl Stefanovic offered his support to her while she composed herself.

2014 In December 2014, the Sydney Siege took place in Australia. Man Haron Monis took hostages at the Lindt Chocolate Café, and the standoff with the police lasted hours. By the end, two people had been killed alongside Monis. For Channel 7, Natalie Barr was one of the reporters on the tragic scene. Just as her co-host David Koch was speaking, Barr, with her voice cracking, announced the identity of one of the victims, Katrina Dawson. She was the sister of Sandy Dawson, who had worked with the news team in the past. Overwhelmed with emotion from her friend’s loss, Barr takes a few minutes as Koch fills in, explaining the sad situation and the heartbreak in Sydney.

2017 To be a reporter, being able to compartmentalize is a vital tool. Detachment from heart-wrenching stories is needed, just for their mental health. But sometimes, things slip through. In April 2017, “The Project” in Australia detailed the chemical attack in Syria that took the lives of many people. When the video package of the devastation ended, a tearful Carrie Bickmore apologized for her reaction. Then, angrily, she said she knew that feeling sad won’t change anything. Bickmore then asked co-host Waleed Aly if then-US President Donald Trump planned to help the situation. But the anchor, unfortunately, couldn’t offer anything positive for Bickmore.

2022 In December 2022, tragedy struck at a lake in Solihull, England. Several children were on the frozen water playing when the ice gave way, plunging them below. On BBC News, Joanna Gosling broke the story that three didn’t survive the fall. As she read the bulletin, her voice cracked. Straight away, Gosling paused to compose herself as tears filled her eyes. But as she kept going, the sadness of the news consumed her again. Completely unnecessarily, Gosling apologized for her reaction to the camera before finishing the segment. Afterward, on social media, Gosling thanked those that sent in messages of support for her.

2016 It’s not just news reporters that can feel themselves being emotionally overwhelmed during a story. Even sports broadcasters experience the same. In September 2016, baseball fans were devastated by the fatal boating accident that claimed the life of pitcher José Fernández. Days later, his team, the Miami Marlins, played their first game since the tragedy. And, of course, emotions ran high. Just before it started, sportscaster Gary Cohen spoke in the commentary booth to the camera about Fernández. After hearing the national anthem, he praised the pitcher’s memory and spoke highly of him while fighting back tears. Even his co-workers Keith Hernandez and Ron Darling struggled with the situation. It was a touching tribute to a person who had gone far too soon.

2018 Rachel Maddow is a trailblazer in journalism, let alone as a news anchor at MSNBC for her self-titled show. But even she isn’t immune to feeling devastating emotions from some of the darkest stories to come out in the US. In June 2018, she broke the news that then-president Donald Trump had set up “tender age” shelters in Texas, where young children were being separated from their migrant parents and housed in these facilities. A very emotional Maddow struggled to get through the bulletin and required several pauses to compose herself. She tried to cut to a graphic to hide her reaction. However, that wasn’t possible. Maddow had to hand over the story to co-host Lawrence O’Donnell as she gathered her thoughts.

2019 When Donald Trump was in power, he had a way of upsetting US journalists. In July 2019, he went after House Oversight Committee Chairman Elijah Cummings on social media by slating his district of Baltimore by calling it “infested.” CNN’s Victor Blackwell was livid as he hosted the news. He was disgusted by the incendiary words Trump used and others used against minority politicians. After bringing up Trump’s history of using phrases with racial overtones, Blackwell got overwhelmed with emotions and paused. Then, he directed his words at Trump as he stated he was born and raised in Baltimore as tears filled his eyes. Blackwell praised and defended his community before cutting to a break.

2015 In November 2015, the coordinated terror attack in Paris, France, caused 130 innocent people to perish and injured hundreds. The destruction started at the Stade de France during an international football match and spread to other areas of the city. For BBC News, reporter Graham Satchell was in the capital, speaking outside a memorial for the victims. He talked about the hope the community had developed due to the moving tributes and vigils across the city. With that, a wave of emotion enveloped him. Immediately, Satchell apologized for his understandable reaction as he held back tears. Struggling to continue, he passed it back to the studio before walking off-screen.

2021 Reporters during the COVID-19 pandemic were constantly exposed to terrifying and sad news. In January 2021, CNN had a video package about communities getting through it. In one instance, a family had to stage a funeral in a parking lot. When the show cut back to Sara Sidner as she stood outside a Los Angeles hospital, she was trying to hold back her heartbreak. However, it crept through as she began crying. Sidner praised the families that continued after their horrible losses and even apologized for her tears. Back in the studio, anchor Alisyn Camerota comforted Sidner and commended her and other reporters for their work during this event as her eyes began to water too. It was an incredibly touching moment.

James Chau

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2014 In March 2014, the world was gripped by the mysterious disappearance of Malaysia Airlines Flight 370. Then, after an investigation, it was tragically concluded that none of the 239 staff and passengers onboard had survived. As this news broke, China Central Television spoke to reporter James Chau in Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia, who had talked with the families of those on the plane. As he reported on the stories that they told him about those aboard, Chau became overwhelmed with sadness as he realized the slither of hope that they were okay had evaporated. While he tried to continue, it was too much for him, and the segment ended.

Pablo Giralt

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2022 Sometimes, it’s not sadness that overwhelms a journalist. Instead, it’s joy. In 2022, Argentinian Pablo Giralt worked for DirecTV for a very important segment. He was interviewing the legendary footballer Lionel Messi just before the World Cup got underway, which Argentina would eventually win. As Giralt told the forward how thankful he was to speak to him, as it had been a life-long dream, the occasion got too much for him, and the reporter began to cry. Messi, awkward at the uncomfortable situation, laughed and leaned back into the sofa as Giralt gathered his thoughts. Messi then offered some comfort to Giralt. After that, the interview continued as normal.

2014 After a three-decade career in news reporting, Gloria Campos was set to retire from the industry in 2014. But she couldn’t bow out without an update on an event that meant the world to her. For twenty-five years, Campos hosted the segment “Wednesday’s Child,” where she showcased children available for adoption. One of the kids at the time was Ke’onte. A couple years later, the reporter met with him again to see how he was doing after an adoption fell through. After this, the youngster was adopted by the Cook family. In 2014, after a highlight reel of her career, Ke’onte, now a teenager, came out to greet Campos. It was an emotional reunion that was the perfect ending to a great career.

2010 In January 2010, a terrible natural disaster took place in Haiti as the rest of the world watched on in horror. A seven-magnitude earthquake devastated the country, resulting in hundreds of thousands of deaths and untold injuries. There was a brief moment of hope when Anika, a young girl who was trapped in the rubble of a building, was eventually freed. The next day, CNN’s Ivan Watson reported from the capital Port-au-Prince with an update. Sadly, Anika didn’t make it to a specialized hospital in time and passed away. That news broke anchor Campbell Brown, who began to cry in the studio. She soon cut to a commercial break to compose herself.

Kate Bolduan

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2016 In August 2016, one of the most powerful photographs of the decade was shot that involved Omran Daqneesh, a young boy who was pulled from building debris after an airstrike in Aleppo, Syria. He sat in the back of an ambulance, seemingly in shock, as he was covered in dust with an injury to his head. As CNN’s Kate Bolduan discussed updates on the Syrian Civil War, images of Daqneesh deeply affected her. She continued to report, through tears and rage, for the situation putting the child and others in such a heartbreaking circumstance. Thankfully, Daqneesh was treated for his injuries and was reportedly discharged from the hospital soon after.

2013 In May 2013, the town of Moore in Oklahoma and nearby areas were wrecked when a tornado tore through. While it was only active on the ground for around forty minutes, it caused an estimated damage of $2 billion to property and infrastructure. But most importantly, it left injuries and fatalities in its wake. For KFOR, Lance West was reporting on the destruction of the Plaza Towers Elementary School. Having given a telephone report earlier where he broke, West later appeared on screen at the scene. The news that many didn’t survive the collapse of the school shook West deeply as he tried to hold himself together as the anchors offered their support.

Peter Jennings

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2001 The terror attacks on September 11th, 2001 are etched forever in the minds of those that were around when it happened. Altogether, 2,996 lives were lost on that devastating day. For ABC, the legendary Peter Jennings was in the studio reporting on the situation. On the day and those that followed, he spent around sixty hours on the air. During the event, as everyone was trying to figure out what happened, Jennings took a moment to recommend to the viewers that they should get in touch with their children and see how they were doing, just like he did with his. However, Jennings struggled through the words as his voice cracked multiple times.

1963 On November 22nd, 1963, the day seemed like any other as people tuned into CBS News to get up to date on events. Instead, they were greeted by a tragic story. The iconic Walter Cronkite spoke to the camera that President John F. Kennedy had been shot and was gravely injured. As the story unfolded, the anchor read out the tragic bulletin that JFK had passed away from his injuries. The shock of the incident caused Cronkite to remove his glasses as his voice broke, a notion that defined a generation. After composing himself, Cronkite showcased a happy yet heartbreaking photograph of the motorcade moments before the dreadful assassination happened.

1937 On May 6th, 1937, radio reporter Herbert Morrison for WLS in Chicago, was sent to witness an impressive event. Instead, he saw something horrific. The Hindenburg airship that had left Frankfurt, Germany was set to arrive at the Naval Air Station Lakehurst in New Jersey. However, as Morrison commented, as the airship attempted to moor, tragedy struck as the engineering marvel erupted in flames. The reporter’s rapid and heartbroken commentary lived long in the minds of many. As did the phrase Morrison uttered with such sadness and panic, “Oh, the humanity.” This terrible event cost thirty-six people their lives and injured many more.

2016 Often, in tragedies, the victims can be overlooked. But that didn’t happen in 2016 when CNN’s Anderson Cooper took to the air. On June 12th, forty-nine people were killed and fifty-three injured when a gunman entered the gay nightclub Pulse in Orlando, Florida. In the aftermath of the attack, Cooper opened by reading out the names and details of each of the victims. It was heartbreaking, especially with Cooper struggling to get through it as his voice cracked regularly with tears in his eyes. But amazingly, he managed it. Cooper summed it up at the end that it was important that we heard their names, and he was very right.