Nikki Battiste has been a correspondent for CBS News based in New York City since 2018. Her reporting appears across all CBS News platforms and broadcasts, including CBS This Morning, CBS Evening News, and 48 Hours. Battiste has also served as a substitute anchor on CBS News’ digital channel, CBSN.
Battiste’s groundbreaking reporting and investigations into the Catholic Church sexual abuse scandal gained critical acclaim. In a television first, her reporting led to two alleged clergy abuse survivors sitting down face-to-face with the priest they say abused them as children. During a separate investigation, Battiste questioned U.S. Conference of Catholic Bishops President, Cardinal Daniel DiNardo, about why a priest with sexual abuse allegations in his own Galveston-Houston Archdiocese was still in active ministry. After the story aired, the priest was removed from ministry. Two months after her exclusive interview with now former Washington, D.C. Cardinal Donald Wuerl, he resigned. She also broke the story of nuns sexually-abusing children, which led to more than 40 victims coming forward. Battiste traveled to Rome to cover Pope Francis’ Vatican summit addressing the clergy abuse crisis.
Battiste joined CBS News as a freelance correspondent in May 2017. She first reported for CBS NewsPath, the Network’s 24-hour television newsgathering service for CBS stations and broadcasters around the world.
Previously, Battiste was an award-winning ABC News reporter and producer based in New York. She traveled the globe to cover breaking news and feature stories for all ABC News broadcast platforms, including Good Morning America, World News Tonight, Nightline, 20/20 and ABC digital.
Battiste reported extensively on the Amanda Knox case from Perugia, Italy, becoming the first journalist to conduct a sit-down interview with Knox, after covering the case for six years. She co-produced several Diane Sawyer hour-long specials, including an interview with the youngest woman on death row in the U.S. She has investigated numerous criminal cases, radicalization in America, the rising costs of cancer drugs, medical tourism and bullying in schools.
Battiste started her career as as an intern for The Today Show, working under Katie Couric, before moving up to becoming an NBC Page and then a producer and booker.
Battiste has won Emmy, Edward R. Murrow, CINE Golden Eagle, Peabody, Deadline and Front Page awards. She graduated from the University of Pennsylvania with a degree in Politics, Philosophy and Economics. At Penn, she was co-captain of their field hockey team.
Battiste is a Pennsylvania native and now resides in New York City with her husband. You can follow her at @NikkiBattiste.