Alumna Nikki Burdine Uses Journalism Platform To Advocate For Others
“It was the scariest and best day of my life.”
That’s how School of Journalism and Media alumna and co-anchor of WKRN’s Good Morning Nashville Nikki Burdine (’05) described the birth of her first child Andi.
Burdine gave birth to Andi twenty-eight weeks into her pregnancy—far from full-term. She weighed just one pound, four ounces.
Due to her size, Burdine’s daughter was considered a ‘micro-preemie’, and Andi’s first few weeks of life were spent in a neonatal intensive care unit (NICU).
One day while visiting Andi in the NICU, Burdine ran into a close friend who was also visiting her baby in the NICU. Burdine said her support helped her through that difficult time, but what also caught her attention was how open her friend was on social media about this experience to help other moms in the same situation.
Burdine vowed to do the same.
“I thought, you know, when I’m ready, I’m going to do that too,” Burdine said. “It was therapeutic for me to share Andi’s story, but I know it also helped a lot of other moms and families.”
Once Andi came home, she began sharing her experience on a blog but then it soon began to spread as news organizations like The Tennessean and Forbes Magazine began reaching out to learn more about her and Andi’s story. She also shared the story on television at WKRN to encourage support for moms with similar experiences.
Burdine said ever since she shared Andi’s story, she has been receiving messages from grateful moms.
“I was so proud to tell her story because she’s such a badass and I wanted to brag about her,” Burdine said. “But I also wanted to tell the story so that other preemie moms could see there are positive happy outcomes, and these are the resources that helped me.”
Impactful Storytelling
Being able to tell impactful stories—including her own—was one of the reasons Burdine was drawn to the journalism profession.
Burdine grew up in Kingsport, Tennessee, and attending the University of Tennessee, Knoxville, was always the plan for the avid Vols fan, but her area of study would come later.
She recalls being interested in a career in the public spotlight that would allow her to be creative. This led her to consider public relations as a potential career. It was not until an internship with The Volunteer Channel (TVC) that broadcast television crossed her mind as a future career option.
She loved working at TVC so much that, within a couple of weeks, she switched her major to journalism and media. Burdine said she enjoys that the field allows her to meet and tell the story of individuals she would not likely interact with otherwise.
In addition, she can scratch her creative bug as she gets to work with video, audio, photo, and other media to tell the story.
Former journalism and media professor and TVC advisor Joshua Queener was an important mentor for Burdine as she developed her craft at UT. She said, in addition to helping her learn the basics of broadcast journalism, he was so encouraging and supportive when it came to exploring her storytelling.
After graduating from UT, Burdine knew she wanted to work in the field in a big city. She would eventually move to Washington, DC, in hopes of fulfilling that dream while also staying close to her future husband, who accepted a position there.
She found work at a radio station for the Washington Redskins, now the Washington Commanders. She did a little bit of everything from marketing and sales to working the reception desk.
While there, she spent time reaching out and mailing stations her portfolio, not wanting to give up on the idea of a career in broadcasting. Then, one day veteran journalist and host of Face the Nation on CBS News, Bob Schieffer, visited the station and changed Burdine’s life.
She was a fan of Schieffer’s work and, as an aspiring broadcast journalist, she went to talk to him. The two talked about her career goals and Schieffer helped mentor Burdine, which eventually led to her landing her first job at WHAG in Hagerstown, Maryland.
And she has never looked back.
As a journalist, Burdine has covered stories across the country, including presidential elections, the landmark same-sex marriage decision at the Supreme Court, riots in Baltimore, White House press briefings, several Kentucky Derby races, and the NCAA tournament.
Her reporting has earned her several accolades, including multiple Associated Press Awards and a National Capital Chesapeake Bay Chapter Emmy Award in the outstanding education/schools category for her story on a rural school in Virginia serving at-risk youth.
She was a reporter working in Washington at the time when she learned about what this school was doing to help at-risk youth. It was technically located outside of their market area, but it was such a great story the news director allowed her to pursue it.
Burdine said it was such an honor to win, but even without it she was still proud of that story.
“I just fell in love with the school and the mission,” Burdine said. “It was such an important story to tell about this tiny little town far removed from DC but still had a lot of DC connections. It was a fun story to tell.”
Burdine said stories such as this one is what she loves about journalism. She said whenever she can use her platform to elevate the good work of a local organization or individual, she is going to do it.
Being an advocate for others
This passion to do good in the community goes beyond her professional career as she is involved with many different nonprofit groups.
This includes groups such as March for Dimes and the board of Friends of MACC, which is the volunteer and fundraising arm of Metro Animal Care and Control in Nashville that supports the welfare and adoption of homeless animals.
She is also an advocate for the Tourette Syndrome Association as she was diagnosed with the syndrome at age twelve.
Burdine recalls doctors saying she would never hold a regular job, but with support from loving family members, that never dampened her ambitions.
“I never thought that I couldn’t do it,” Burdine said. “I’m really thankful that nobody tried to talk sense into me.”
She has found that, while it can be a sensitive subject, sharing her experience has helped others living with Tourette’s.
Burdine is also a children’s book author and supporter of early literacy.
Her first children’s book is Live Like Grunt, which she co-wrote with her dad. The book is about her childhood dog, Grunt, and the life lessons he imparts.
Burdine said the idea is based on what her father did as a child to teach her and her sisters important life lessons. She recalls receiving illustrations from her dad of their dog giving life advice on a regular basis as part of her father’s way of raising them right.
“He knew how much we loved our family dog Grunt, and he knew we would do anything for that dog,” Burdine said. “So, he thought if I can make it seem that these pieces of advice are coming from the family dog his girls are going to listen. And he was right.”
Inspired by this, during her maternity leave she worked on taking those illustrations and lessons and putting them into a book to share with others.
Burdine said she has read her book to so many kids since it was published and there is nothing like it. In addition, Burdine and her dad work with nonprofits focused on early literacy to give away thousands of books to children in East Tennessee.
Burdine said she hopes to write another book in the future, perhaps focused on dealing with kids who are different.
Whether it is through her journalism, advocacy, or as an author, Burdine said she always wants to use her voice and platform for something positive.
When she was growing up, Burdine said her parents were adamant about their daughters doing their part to support the community, whether that meant delivering meals or helping raise funds for a charity. So, attending UT and learning about the Volunteer Creed was seamless for her and reinforced her passion for the school.
“The university just has my whole heart,” Burdine said. “I love everything about it. It was the best four years, before becoming a wife and a mother, but it was the best experience. I love it so much.”
Alumna Nikki Burdine Uses Journalism Platform To Advocate For Others written by Ernest Rollins and originally published on the College of Communication & Information site.