A woman is standing outside in front of a podium, wearing a white coat and black gloves. She appears to be giving a speech or report, as she is being filmed by a large video camera positioned to the right of the image. The camera's viewfinder shows her image on its screen. — Julia Benbrook reports live from the White House to more than 1,000 CNN partners worldwide.

OSU alumna reports live on CNN and its affiliates worldwide

Wednesday, May 14, 2025

Media Contact: Mack Burke | Associate Director of Media Relations | 405-744-5540 | editor@okstate.edu

From Oklahoma State University to national news coverage, alumna Julia Benbrook plays a vital role in keeping the world informed every time she speaks into a microphone.

Benbrook, born and raised in Woodward, Oklahoma, has known she wanted to be a journalist since the eighth grade.

After winning first place in the Veterans of Foreign Wars Patriot’s Pen essay contest and traveling to Washington, D.C., to read her essay titled, “Why America’s Veterans Should be Honored,” she knew this was what she wanted to do for the rest of her life.

Benbrook chose OSU to help on her journey into the journalism world. As a multimedia journalism major, she had opportunities and experiences in the School of Media and Strategic Communications that she credits for preparing her for this career path.

"A woman with long, wavy brown hair is wearing a blue dress with short sleeves and a V-shaped neckline. She is standing against a plain blue background with her hands clasped in front of her. — Julia Benbrook has a bachelor’s degree from Oklahoma State University and a master’s from Northwestern University’s Medill School of Journalism, where she specialized in politics, policy and foreign affairs reporting.

“I had the chance to work on several different types of projects from daily news packages to long-form documentaries, and I think that that type of training is really important,” Benbrook said. “It’s not just what you learn about in the classroom when it comes to journalism, but that you get out and ask questions, be curious and OSU provided us with opportunities to do that.”

Outside of class work, Benbrook, a firm believer in putting in the work and taking initiative through short-term goals, was incredibly involved on campus and took every opportunity she could to gain the experience she knew she would need.

“The campus involvement side of things really played a big role in preparing me for what I do now,” Benbrook said. “I was a four-year member of the OSU Pom Squad, and I served as Miss OSU my senior year as well as being involved in the President’s Leadership Council, Student Alumni Board and several other different types of clubs. Those roles really gave me opportunities to meet lots of people on campus.”

After graduating from OSU, Benbrook worked as a reporter for KOTV-DT, the CBS affiliate in Tulsa, where she broke down national stories and how they would impact the local audience. While in Oklahoma, she was named a NextGen Under 30 award winner and was nominated for a Heartland Emmy in the interview/discussion category. Benbrook also returned to her alma mater as a reporter for Inside OSU before beginning her CNN career.

“Those of us who have worked with Julia knew early on that she was destined to broadcast on a national stage,” said Blaire Atkinson, OSU Foundation president. “While we are not surprised by her success, we are incredibly proud of her.”

Now based in the nation’s capital, Benbrook delivers live coverage from the White House and Capitol Hill as a national correspondent for CNN Newsource.

Never forgetting her roots, Benbrook makes annual trips back to Stillwater for her favorite event, the Women for OSU Symposium. Her relationship with the group is longstanding, dating back to 2015, when she was honored as a student scholar and has hosted the event since 2020.

“In 2017, we had the privilege of inviting Julia to interview keynote speaker Joan Lunden, and in 2019, we welcomed her back as our social media host. We were beyond excited to have her as our longstanding Symposium emcee starting in 2020,” Atkinson said. “Julia’s contributions are integral to the Symposium’s continued success each year.”

This past election cycle, Benbrook traveled nationwide, covering significant political events, including primaries, debates and both major party conventions.

“Some days are nonstop and hectic, but there are moments where you get a chance to look up and remind yourself of where you are and the stories that you’re getting to tell,” Benbrook said. “I think those are my proudest moments.”

Photos by: Provided by Julia Benbrook and the OSU Foundation

Story by: Libby Ray | STATE Magazine