Erin Burnett Biography

Erin Isabelle Burnett (born July 2, 1976) is an American journalist and news anchor, currently the anchor of her own news show on CNN, Erin Burnett OutFront. She was previously the co-anchor of CNBC's Squawk on the Street program and the host of CNBC's Street Signs program. Burnett has also appeared on NBC's Meet the Press, Today, MSNBC's Morning Joe, and NBC Nightly News as well as making occasional appearances on The Celebrity Apprentice, serving as an advisor to Donald Trump. She is a member of the Council on Foreign Relations.

Burnett has hosted Erin Burnett OutFront live from the border of Mali, Afghanistan, Rwanda, the United Arab Emirates and Israel. She"s also reported from China and Pakistan for the program.

While working at NBC, Joe Scarborough dubbed Burnett "The International Superstar" for her work on a number of documentaries filmed outside of the United States. Her reporting and documentaries were filmed inside Libya, Democratic Republic of the Congo, Nigeria, Russia, United Arab Emirates, Jordan, and India.

In her career, she has focused extensively on reporting in the Middle East and has filed reports from Egypt, Iran, Iraq, Israel, Lebanon, Palestinian Territories, Saudi Arabia, Tunisia, Turkey, United Arab Emirates, and Yemen, in addition to Pakistan.

Early life and education

Burnett was born and raised in Mardela Springs, Maryland. She is the youngest daughter of corporate attorney Kenneth King Burnett and Esther Margaret Burnett (née Stewart). She attended St. Andrew's School in Middletown, Delaware, graduating in 1994, and returned in 2009 to deliver the commencement speech. Burnett attended Williams College in Williamstown, Massachusetts, where she studied political science and economics, graduating with a bachelor of arts degree in political economy. As an undergraduate, she played lacrosse and field hockey.

Career

Early career

Burnett began her career as a financial analyst for Goldman Sachs in their investment banking division, where she worked on mergers and acquisitions and corporate finance. While working as an investment-banking analyst, Burnett was offered a position at CNN as a writer and booker for CNN's Moneyline with Stuart Varney, Willow Bay, and Lou Dobbs. She left the position to serve as vice president at Citigroup.

Cable news

Following Citigroup, Burnett joined Bloomberg Television as Stocks Editor and anchor. From 2005 to 2011 Burnett was the host of CNBC's Street Signs and co-anchor of Squawk on the Street with Mark Haines. On May 6, 2011, she left CNBC after over five years. On October 3, 2011, Burnett returned to CNN as the anchor of a New York-based prime-time news program called Erin Burnett OutFront.

Hosted programs

• Street Signs (2005-2011)
• Squawk on the Street (2005-2011)
• Bloomberg on the Markets (2003-2005)
• Erin Burnett OutFront (2011-)

Documentaries

• City of Money & Mystery (2008)
• India Rising: The New Empire (2008)
• The Russian Gamble (2008)
• Dollars & Danger: Africa, The Final Investment Frontier (2009)
• On Assignment: Iraq (2010)
• Big Money in the Middle East (2010)

Controversy

In August 5, 2009, Burnett used the term "serial killer" in a discussion with her host Jim Cramer regarding a report about the Australian Prime Minister Kevin Rudd's plans to spend millions of dollars on aerial shooting to cull Australian feral camels in the outback. Cramer referred to the reported plan as "camelcide." The next day on the show, Burnett said her comment was meant as a joke.

On December 7, 2010, Burnett did an investigative report on chemical giant Transammonia doing business in Iran. She reported that a Transammonia subsidiary"100% owned by Transammonia in the United States"purchased ammonia from Iran. On December 13, 2010, as a result of the CNBC report, Transammonia sent a press release to congressional leaders stating that Transammonia's Swiss subsidiary would not enter into new contracts with Iranian companies and would wind down its business with Iran "as soon as possible." The following year, the investigative report was nominated for an Emmy.

Shortly after arriving at CNN, on October 4, 2011, Burnett did a segment on the Occupy Wall Street protests titled "Seriously?" in which she mocked the protesters. Media watchdog groups, including Fairness and Accuracy in Reporting, claimed Burnett's reporting was purposely inaccurate in order to paint the protesters in a negative light. In response to the criticism, CNN issued a statement saying, "We support Erin and the OutFront team and we respect that there will be a range of opinions on any given story."

Personal life

Burnett met finance executive David Rubulotta on a blind date in 2003. Rubulotta was previously a trader for Lehman Brothers., and is currently a finance executive who is a managing director for Citigroup. They became engaged in September 2011. Burnett and Rubulotta married on December 21, 2012.

On June 21, 2013, Burnett's rep confirmed to People Magazine that she is pregnant. She is due in November 2013.