Valley PR Blog

Award-winning reporter Lisa Fletcher has been named an ABC News’ correspondent, ABC News President David Westin announced today. Based in the network’s Los Angeles bureau, Fletcher will report for all ABC News broadcasts and platforms, including “World News with Charles Gibson,” “Nightline,” and “Good Morning America,” as well as ABC News Radio, ABC News Now, and ABCNEWS.com. Fletcher’s assignment is effective Tuesday, December 4.

“Lisa joins ABC with a distinguished résumé of hard-hitting investigative reports that have led to reforms in government and business. She’s an incisive reporter and a skilled storyteller, and we’re delighted she is bringing her skills to ABC News,” said Mr. Westin.

Before joining ABC News, Fletcher worked at KNXV-TV, the ABC affiliate in Phoenix, where she was an investigative reporter and weekend anchor. She joined the station in the spring of 2002 as the first member of the “ABC15 iNVESTiGATORS,” an award-winning investigative team recognized across the country as one of the best in local television.

Fletcher’s undercover reports have closed down corrupt multi-million dollar businesses in the Phoenix area, put child predators behind bars, and forced state agencies to account for millions of dollars of taxpayer money. Undercover, she also exposed serious security breaches at one of the nation’s largest airports. As a result, the TSA immediately suspended, and later replaced, its Federal Security Director. The TSA took overall security checkpoints around the clock and launched a national inquiry into every airport’s security procedures.

Fletcher’s reporting also exposed lead in poker chips that are used in the world’s most popular casinos. This story garnered international attention and prompted an ongoing investigation by the Arizona Department of Health — now joined by the state’s Gaming Commission. The state is testing casino employees to determine their lead exposure, and several national government agencies are also considering action based on Fletcher’s findings.

Before joining KNXV-TV, Fletcher worked at various stations in Oregon, most recently at KEZI-TV in Eugene, where she was the anchor of the weekly evening newscasts. There she covered natural disasters, including some of the Northwest’s most devastating floods, and forest fires. She also anchored coverage of one of the country’s worst high school shootings that took place in Springfield, Oregon. The coverage was honored with an Edward R. Murrow award for broadcast excellence.

Fletcher’s work has been recognized with numerous other honors, including a national Edward R. Murrow Award for exposing corrupt practices among Portland immigration officials. In 2003, she received the Nancy Dickerson Whitehead Award for a series of stories that exposed children abusing over-the-counter medications, resulting in their tragic deaths. Fletcher has also won several regional Emmy awards, has been recognized with First Place awards by the Associated Press for her writing and reporting, and received the Society of Professional Journalists First Amendment Award for exposing grave security breaches at a state agency.

Fletcher received a B.S. in Journalism from the University of Oregon.

ABC News Media Relations: Natalie Raabe (212) 456-2418

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