Brianna Keilar | $200,000

Australian-born Brianna Keilar is a commentator, journalist, the co-anchor of CNN’s New Day with John Berman. She formerly worked as a senior correspondent, congressional correspondent, White House correspondent, and general assignment correspondent in Washington. Before hosting New Day, she was the anchor of CNN Right Now with Brianna Keilar.

Keilar started her on-air career at the CBS affiliate KIMA in Yakima, Washington. She then landed a position at CBS News, where she served as a reporter and producer for a newscast that aired on MTV’s college network. As CNN’s general assignment correspondent, she covered various degrees of news and events, including the Virginia Tech massacre in 2007, where she was the first correspondent of CNN broadcasting at the scene. The 40-year-old journalist also earned the 2009 NPF’s Everett McKinley Dirksen Award for her 2008 coverage of the $700 billion bank bailout.