Adam Reiss is an award-winning NBC reporter and producer based in New York, having joined the network in 2014 after more than two decades as a producer and reporter for CNN. Adam has covered the globe and some of the biggest stories of our time in his years in network and local news. He is known for his breaking news coverage as well as exclusive interviews. He is one of the few journalists to report from inside North Korea and to report James Cameron's incredible, record-breaking deep dive to the Mariana Trench off the coast of Australia.
One of the first journalists on scene at the World Trade Center attack, Adam began reporting from Ground Zero in New York City, providing constant updates and detailed descriptions of the devastation. His range is broad, covering major events like the volcano eruptions in Iceland and the kidnaping of Sean Goldman in Brazil. He reported on the international tug of war over Elian Gonzalez, the Miracle on the Hudson, and the Escape from Dannemora. He has covered numerous trials ranging from the infamous John Gotti mafia trials of the 1980s, Michael Jackson’s criminal trial, and the recent trials of the Boston Bomber, Bill Cosby, Harvey Weinstein, and El Chapo. He has been on the ground covering natural disasters including earthquakes, tornadoes, and hurricanes, including the 2005 storms Katrina, Wilma, and Rita in Louisiana, Florida, Texas, and Mississippi. Adam reported on the 2020 presidential campaign and has covered every presidential election since 1988. While at CNN, he produced several specialized shows, including Fashion: Backstage Pass, Diplomatic License, and Soldier Story. He has been assigned to cover the tragic mass shootings in Newtown, Las Vegas, Charleston, and Orlando. Additionally, he covered the D.C.-area sniper case, the anthrax scare, the crash of TWA Flight 800, and the funeral of Pope John Paul II. Adam also worked at several local stations in the New York region including WPIX, WWOR and WVIT.
Adam earned a Bachelor of Arts degree in broadcast journalism from Cortland College. While there he was a disc jockey on the local radio station OK100 and worked at WSTM, the NBC affiliate in Syracuse. Recognized several times for his work, he is the recipient of four Peabody awards, a DuPont award, and a NATAS award. He is also a member of RIAS, a German-American journalist exchange program dedicated to building bridges of understanding in the field of broadcasting. He lives in New York City with his wife Meryl and daughter Michael Raye '21 and son Ryan '26.
