Tamara Keith

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  • NPR White House Correspondent
  • Co-Host, 'NPR Politics' Podcast - Top political news podcast in America.
  • President, White House Correspondents' Association

NPR White House correspondent Tamara Keith is the co-host of the NPR Politics podcast – the top political news podcast in America. Keith joined NPR in 2009 as a Business Reporter on topics spanning the business world, from policy debates to technology trends. Serving as the White House correspondent for NPR since 2014, she chronicled the final years of the Obama administration, covered Hillary Clinton’s failed bid for president, and documented the Trump administration. Keith is a sought-after speaker for events with groups including the National Association of State Retirement Administrators, Stable Value Investment Association, Johns Hopkins University, and many others.

Keith serves on the board of the White House Correspondents' Association and is the association's president through the middle of 2023. Her mission for the year of her presidency is to demystify the White House beat for the public, in an effort to help restore trust in the press, an essential pillar of American democracy. She also serves on advisory boards for the University of California Center for Free Speech and Civic Engagement and the UC Berkeley J-School. Keith consistently receives glowing reviews for her events, such as: “It was honestly one of our best events (probably our best). She received a standing ovation and I’ve received non-stop kudos to and for her. Fantastic.” (Drury University)

 


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Past Hosts Include:
  • John F. Kennedy Presidential Library and Museum
  • Johns Hopkins University
  • Stable Value Investment Association
  • Drury University
  • National Association of Independent Colleges & Universities
  • California State University
  • Tower Hill School
  • St. Mary's College
  • National Association of State Retirement Administrators
  • University of Wisconsin
Rave Reviews About Tamara Keith as a Speaker
It was honestly one of our best events (probably our best). She received a standing ovation and I’ve received non-stop kudos to and for her. Fantastic.

Trust has taken a dive: The state of the media today | La Follette School of Public Affairs Paul Offner Lecture [1:07:04] - Get Sharable Link
Talks & Conversations with Tamara Keith
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Democracy Depends on Trust in the Press

NPR White House correspondent TAMARA KEITH, who currently serves as the president of the White House Correspondents’ Association, is on a mission to restore trust in the press. A longtime journalist with an understanding of both the inner-workings of Washington and the concerns of the American peopl ...

NPR White House correspondent TAMARA KEITH, who currently serves as the president of the White House Correspondents’ Association, is on a mission to restore trust in the press. A longtime journalist with an understanding of both the inner-workings of Washington and the concerns of the American people, Keith offers insights on the declining trust of Americans in traditional media and the significance of this trend in a democratic society.

The Headlines: What Happened & Why it Matters

As the host of the top political news podcast in America, TAMARA KEITH leverages her insider experience as NPR’s White House correspondent to break down the day’s headlines and the most important issues facing Americans today. Keith brings unparalleled experience reporting on presidential administra ...

As the host of the top political news podcast in America, TAMARA KEITH leverages her insider experience as NPR’s White House correspondent to break down the day’s headlines and the most important issues facing Americans today. Keith brings unparalleled experience reporting on presidential administrations and policies, technology trends and the future of democracy.

College & University Audiences: Finding & Following Your Dream

Top political reporter and NPR White House correspondent TAMARA KEITH has been following her dream since she was a teenager, when she got her start in news by writing and voicing essays for NPR. While in college, she launched her career at an NPR member station and co-founded B-Side Radio – a podcas ...

Top political reporter and NPR White House correspondent TAMARA KEITH has been following her dream since she was a teenager, when she got her start in news by writing and voicing essays for NPR. While in college, she launched her career at an NPR member station and co-founded B-Side Radio – a podcast back before podcasts were cool. In this motivational talk, Keith shares her love for her work and how she found and followed her dream all the way to the top.

Skillful Moderation for Conversations That Matter

Journalist TAMARA KEITH offers skillful moderation for conversations that matter, bringing thoughtful research, insightful commentary, and incisive questions to topics including U.S. politics, the role of the media in politics and policy, and more. ...

Journalist TAMARA KEITH offers skillful moderation for conversations that matter, bringing thoughtful research, insightful commentary, and incisive questions to topics including U.S. politics, the role of the media in politics and policy, and more.

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Biography

Tamara Keith has been a White House correspondent for NPR since 2014 and co-hosts the NPR Politics Podcast, the top political news podcast in America. In that time, she has chronicled the final years of the Obama administration, covered Hillary Clinton's failed bid for president from start to finish and thrown herself into documenting the Trump administration, from policy made by tweet to the president's COVID diagnosis and the insurrection. In the final year of the Trump administration and the first year of the Biden administration, she focused her reporting on the White House response to the COVID-19 pandemic.

In 2018, Keith was elected to serve on the board of the White House Correspondents' Association and is the association's president through July 15, 2023. In that role she leads the press corps in its interactions with the White House, advocating for press conferences and coordinating travel. Her mission for the year of her presidency is to demystify the White House beat for the public, in an effort to help restore trust in the press, an essential pillar of American democracy.

Previously Keith covered congress for NPR with an emphasis on House Republicans, the budget, taxes and the fiscal fights that dominated at the time.

Keith joined NPR in 2009 as a Business Reporter. In that role, she reported on topics spanning the business world, from covering the debt downgrade and debt ceiling crisis to the latest in policy debates, legal issues and technology trends. In early 2010, she was on the ground in Haiti covering the aftermath of the country's disastrous earthquake, and later she covered the oil spill in the Gulf. In 2011, Keith conceived of and reported "The Road Back To Work," a year-long series featuring the audio diaries of six people in St. Louis who began the year unemployed and searching for work.

Keith has deep roots in public radio and got her start in news by writing and voicing essays for NPR's Weekend Edition Sunday as a teenager. While in college, she launched her career at NPR Member station KQED's California Report, where she covered agriculture, the environment, economic issues and state politics. She covered the 2004 presidential election for NPR Member station WOSU in Columbus, Ohio, and opened the state capital bureau for NPR Member station KPCC to cover then-Governor Arnold Schwarzenegger.

In 2001, Keith began working on B-Side Radio, an hour-long public radio show and podcast that she co-founded, produced, hosted, edited and distributed for nine years, back before podcasts were cool.

Keith earned a bachelor's degree in philosophy from the University of California, Berkeley, and a master's degree at the UCB Graduate School of Journalism. Keith is also a member of the Bad News Babes, a media softball team that once a year competes against female members of Congress in the Congressional Women's Softball game. She serves on advisory boards for the University of California Center for Free Speech and Civic Engagement and the UC Berkeley J-School.