Dateline is adding a new member to its all-star lineup of journalists.
Blayne Alexander joins the weekly true crime show as an official correspondent after more than five years working for the NBC News team. Her work has been featured across the network’s various platforms including NBC Nightly News with Lester Holt, the TODAY Show and on two previous episodes of Dateline in 2023 and 2024.
“I’m very excited to join a legacy program like Dateline,” Alexander tells PEOPLE. “As a journalist, there [are] so many different dreams you can have or different stories that you can tell. But to join an institution like Dateline — I’ve said before — but it really, really is a journalist’s dream job for so many reasons.”
One of those reasons is Dateline’s ability to tell stories in a unique and uncommon way.
“We’re sitting down with people who have been involved in these tragedies for two hours, sometimes three hours at a time,” the Atlanta resident says. “I can’t think of too many other places in journalism where you can do that.”
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She adds: “To be able to really develop a story, write a story, let so much of our conversation air and breath during those two hours is something that is rare and it’s such an incredible thing to be able to put together.”
Alexander’s rise to the top of the news industry began even before she graduated from Duke University. She spent the summer prior as an intern at NBC News Washington. Most of the work included answering phones, making copies, sending faxes and ordering lunch for the crew. Yet, she was still “learning from the best journalists in the business.”
“I remember Andrea Mitchell had an interview coming up and I saw it on the assignment sheet,” she says. “I asked her if I could sit in and I literally just sat on the floor in the corner in the back and watched her.”
She adds: “It was doing the desk work, of course, but also just truly a masterclass of journalism.”
From there, the Oklahoma City native worked as a multimedia journalist (MMJ) in Augusta, Georgia and then for six years at the NBC affiliate, WXIA-TV, in Atlanta. In February 2017, she became a Washington correspondent for the NBC News Channel, creating stories for affiliates nationwide.
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“Younger me would be very excited. Younger me has always been an NBC News nerd,” Alexander says. “I think that she would certainly say all the time that you were doubting and wondering, ‘What are we doing carrying this camera and being an MMJ and working weekend hours and away from families? Is that going to pay off?’ And the answer is yes.”
In the months leading up to Alexnder’s first official episode on Feb. 28, she’s been able to learn from and connect with her Dateline co-hosts including Keith Morrison, Josh Mankiewicz and Andrea Canning. “I could not have asked for a warmer welcome from them,” she says.
When Alexander was tasked with her first Dateline assignment as a general NBC correspondent, Mankiewicz reached out to her to offer advice and answer any questions before anyone else knew about it. After it aired, she received an unfamiliar call from an easily recognizable voice.
“I remember when I got the first phone call from Keith just to say ‘Congratulations,’” Alexander explains. “To hear his voice on my voicemail — literally gave me chills — because it’s one of the most iconic voices ever on TV.”
Although the show, which is now airing on Telemundo, is a team effort, Alexander hopes to carve out a lane for herself. She hopes her ability to connect with the show’s subjects shines through.
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“I really try to know as much about our interviewees or characters as I can before I sit down across from them in a chair, because I think that makes for a richer interview,” she says. “I hope that they see that connection. I hope they see that authenticity. And I hope that they see that they’re getting my genuine reaction.”
It is no secret that Dateline covers heavy topics that can spur lots of emotions. But Alexander views it as an advantage. In Alexander’s Feb. 28 episode, she speaks with the father of a young woman who was killed.
“There is no way that I could separate myself and not pretend that I’m impacted by that,” she says. “Like, I’m a mom, I’ve got two daughters. I almost think that feeling what they feel — of course, from my perspective — informs the way that I talk to them during interviews, informs the way that I conduct interviews, informs the way that I tell the stories. Because you do have to feel. I would almost argue that you don’t want to build that barrier.”
But when the emotions are too heavy or the subject matter becomes too dark, Alexander is sure to practice some self-care. It was especially important for her in 2020, amid the pandemic, elections and unrest around racial injustice. She learned to take breaks, unwind and meditate.
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She says: “When it comes to my family, I have certain non-negotiables. If I’m on the road for a trip, I will make sure that I always Facetime my daughter before bedtime. It’s important that we see each other’s face[s]. Having those things in place [is] very crucial.”
As Alexander takes on this new adventure, she looks forward to the growth she can make as a journalist. But first, she has to meet some expectations.
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“I think that Dateline is what it is because so many people watch and just hold us to a high standard, they’re detectives themselves,” she shares. “It’s really incredible to see the love that is out there for Dateline…I’m just so humbled by it all.”
Alexander’s first official episode of Dateline airs on NBC on Feb. 28.
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