Mara Liasson

Mara Liasson was born on June 13, 1955, in New York City and grew up in Scarsdale, New York, graduating from Scarsdale High School in 1973. She pursued her higher education at Brown University, earning a bachelor’s degree in American history in 1977. Her early career in journalism included work as a reporter for The Vineyard Gazette on Martha’s Vineyard, Massachusetts, and as a freelance radio and television reporter in San Francisco. She also held the role of managing editor and anchor for “California Edition,” a California Public Radio nightly news program, and worked at Berkeley’s KPFA.

Liasson joined NPR in 1985 as a general assignment reporter and newscaster. Her dedication to economic and business journalism led her to take a leave of absence from September 1988 to June 1989 to attend Columbia University’s Graduate School of Journalism as a recipient of a Knight-Bagehot Fellowship. Upon her return, she became NPR’s congressional correspondent from 1989 to 1992, covering legislative affairs. She then transitioned to the role of White House correspondent for NPR, a position she held for eight years during the Clinton administration, from 1992 to 2001.

Her work as White House correspondent earned her the White House Correspondents’ Association’s Merriman Smith Award for daily news coverage in 1994, 1995, and 1997. Currently, Liasson serves as NPR’s national political correspondent, regularly contributing to “Morning Edition” and “All Things Considered.” In this role, she provides analysis on politics and policy from Washington, D.C., focusing on the White House and Congress, as well as broader political trends. She has covered seven presidential elections: in 1992, 1996, 2000, 2004, 2008, 2012, and 2016. Additionally, since 1997, Liasson has been a contributor to Fox News Channel, appearing on programs such as “Special Report with Bret Baier” and “FOX News Sunday.” She also served as a panelist for WETA-TV’s “Washington Week.”