From Grokipedia
Full articleJoshua Paul Mankiewicz (born August 27, 1955) is an American journalist best known as a longtime correspondent for the NBC newsmagazine program Dateline, where he has contributed investigative reports, breaking news coverage, and in-depth features since joining the show in February 1995.
Born in Berkeley, California, Mankiewicz is the son of Frank Mankiewicz, a prominent political journalist, press secretary to Senator Robert F. Kennedy, and former president of National Public Radio, and the older brother of television host Ben Mankiewicz, who serves as a presenter for Turner Classic Movies and CBS News.
He earned a Bachelor of Arts degree in sociology from Haverford College, graduating with honors, before beginning his career in journalism as a reportorial producer for ABC News in Washington, D.C., covering Capitol Hill from 1977 to 1980.
Mankiewicz's early professional roles included reporting for WJLA-TV in Washington, D.C. (1980–1982), serving as an ABC News correspondent covering 11 southern states and contributing to Good Morning America (1982–1986), working as a political correspondent for WCBS-TV in New York (1986–1991), and reporting on politics for KCAL-TV in Los Angeles (1991–1993), followed by a stint as a correspondent for Fox Broadcasting Company's Front Page.
At Dateline, he has reported on high-profile stories such as the 25th anniversary of the O.J. Simpson police chase, the Jonestown massacre, the JonBenét Ramsey case, the Michael Jackson trial, Hurricane Katrina, and the disappearance of Robyn Gardner, while also profiling figures including Pastor Rick Warren, Janet Jackson, and the breakup of Tom Cruise and Katie Holmes. In February 2025, he marked 30 years with the program.
Mankiewicz pioneered network coverage examining racial disparities in media attention to missing persons cases and has extended his work to NBC News podcasts since 2020, including Dateline: Missing in America, Motive for Murder, Deadly Mirage, and Deadly Engagement.
His contributions to Dateline and NBC News have earned team accolades, including induction into the Broadcasting & Cable Hall of Fame in 2019 and a News & Documentary Emmy Award for outstanding live breaking news coverage of the January 6, 2021, U.S. Capitol insurrection.
In brief
Josh Mankiewicz carries a famous surname and a reporter’s skepticism about fame. Dateline has been the long assignment: true crime, odd corners, the careful reconstruction of a night that went wrong.
He has also popped up on Today and Nightly News, a correspondent who treats television as a place to tell a story, not to become one.
