Celebrate 50 years of PBS News Hour with a monthly gift of $50

All gifts doubled during our $50,000 anniversary match thanks to a generous Friend of the News Hour.

About Elizabeth

Beth Summers is the senior politics producer for the PBS NewsHour where she oversees coverage of Congress, the White House and the Supreme Court. She joined the NewsHour in 2001 as an editorial assistant in the newsroom, and has worked as a reporter for the national desk and as well as the politics desk before becoming the NewsHour’s political director.

As a reporter for the national desk, Summers produced anniversary coverage for the March on Washington, the Voting Rights Act and the Senate Watergate hearings. Summers also conceptualized the NewsHour’s ongoing “Broken Justice” series, a multi-part, multi-media look at bipartisan efforts to reform the U.S. criminal justice system, including a short 2016 documentary following three inmates’ reintegration back into society.

Summers has covered four presidential elections for the NewsHour. She served as the lead producer for the two most recent cycles, including the 2016 Democratic primary debate and both national political conventions in 2012 and 2016. She was nominated for a News & Documentary Emmy Award for her role in producing Gwen Ifill’s 2016 town hall with President Obama in Elkhart, Indiana.

Summers earned a bachelor’s degree from the University of Mary Washington. She is a New York Times Fellow for its Changing Face of America project.

Full Bio

Elizabeth’s Recent Stories

Politics Feb 22

The Toxic Revenger: Supreme Court Considers a Crime of Passion

On Tuesday, the U.S. Supreme Court hears arguments in a case that has it all: passion, betrayal, revenge, and hair loss. There's something for everyone, including constitutional law scholars, political strategists, readers of supermarket tabloids, and groups pushing to repeal…

Support Provided By: Learn more