NABJ Salutes April D. Ryan, Longest-Serving Black White House Correspondent

NABJ salutes April D. Ryan, who was recognized earlier this week in the White House Briefing Room by Press Secretary Karine Jean-Pierre for making history with 28 years as a White House correspondent.

Ryan, who was NABJ’s 2017 Journalist of the Year, has spent nearly three decades covering the White House and five U.S. presidents. This makes her the longest-serving Black (and Black woman) White House correspondent alongside the late Wendell Goler of FOX News.

Ryan also celebrated a new milestone this week. The National Newspaper Publishers Association (NNPA) announced her new role as the Washington bureau chief and senior White House correspondent for Black Press USA (www.BlackPressUSA.com). This move further underscores her ongoing commitment to the Black Press and bringing critical White House coverage to Black communities.

Ryan most recently served as the Washington, D.C. bureau chief and senior White House correspondent at theGrio. She also is an MSNBC political analyst and has served on the board of the White House Correspondents’ Association for over 25 years. She is one of only three Black members in the WHCA’s 100-plus-year history to serve on its board. 

Ryan successfully launched the D.C. Bureau for theGrio. She opened the door for the company to have permanent White House Briefing Room seating, including “presidential and supplemental pool duty,” making it the first Black-owned digital news organization to have such placement.