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She’s reported on some of the biggest stories of this century. “There’s nothing really like journalism where you can go and hold powerful people accountable and help people and give them a voice. So that’s why I love it,” said Fox News Correspondent Alexis McAdams.
While today it seems only natural the native Midwesterner is in journalism, initially she wasn’t sure what her career path would be when entering college, but one class at Illinois State University helped solve it quickly. “I just kind of fell into it,” she said. “I always talked a lot in class and was always a big communicator. So, I think that’s kind of how it started out for me, talking to people and asking people questions instinctively. Then I went to college in Illinois, and I kind of just took a class and it was for broadcast journalism.” It was here McAdams found her passion.
She moved on to a few smaller markets then landed in Chicago, where she covered some of the Windy City’s biggest stories. McAdams joined Fox in 2021.
In her time on the politics team, McAdams has covered both Donald Trump and Kamala Harris rallies. Most notably, “I was there in Butler when he was shot. I was kind of in the groove of going to these rallies. You hear the speeches, you talk to people, you hear the talking point and that day kind of showed that you just never know what’s going to happen in the news or in politics.”
McAdams was taking notes on her phone the moment shots rang out. “He was only talking for about five minutes, and I was still right next to the camera when I heard what sounded like I thought were pops or like fireworks and it all happened so quickly. I saw the former president go down behind the podium and it felt like he was down there for quite some time.”
The seconds felt like minutes as McAdams tried to figure out what exactly was happening. “I didn’t know if he was going to come back up and people got down on the ground, then we saw the authorities move in,” she recalled. “It was like something out of a movie. I got down on the media riser, but we were also elevated. I knew it was gunfire when I saw [President Trump] with blood on his ear and I saw the police and I was like, ‘Is there another shooter?’”
Fortunately there was not another shooter. However, McAdams knew she had to put how she was feeling aside. “I was shocked and nervous and I was so upset that that had happened, but it wasn’t about me. I had to remove that and talk about just what I knew and what I saw happening in real time.You just have to focus in and remember what you’re there for and how important your role is and your job.”
Doing her best to relay real-time information to the viewers at home McAdams said, “I knew I was in shock. Nobody could get out of there that day. There were like thousands of people at that rally, and they were all parked in a field. Everyone wanted to get out of there because they were scared, there was no cell phone service, but they couldn’t get out because of the police securing the area and the line. So, we just went up and talked to everybody that was in a car.”
Before police could speak with the press, eyewitnesses told McAdams, “There were a few people shot in the crowd, there was a man who we think died. So that information comes out in real time. I just used my news team back in New York to try to sift through everything to make sure we gave the best updates and factual updates.”
When President Trump went back to Butler in October, so did McAdams. “I do give him credit for going back there because he was nearly killed, and he got right back up on that same stage in the same area,” she said. “They had the same flag, things I noticed when I went back because I was on that media riser in the same position.”
McAdams went on to covering several other events for both candidates and no matter what part of the country she was in there was one major issue on a lot of voters’ minds. “People care about the economy, and they care about the border. Sometimes I’ve heard more about the border than I have about the economy but those seem to be the top two issues. And people are kind of just looking for whatever candidate can lead them in a better direction.”
“You hear people saying they’re working 2 to 3 jobs in some of these states and they still can’t really make ends meet. That’s something everyone can connect with. Whatever side of the aisle you’re on, everyone agrees that you if you’re going to work hard, you want to have some money left to be able to kind of achieve the American dream.”
While most can agree the economy is on a lot of voter’s minds, McAdams believes it’s not the only deciding factor this election cycle. “When I was in Greenville, North Carolina, the other week for Kamala Harris’ rally, people said that the economy isn’t where they want it to be and that they’re paying more and they have extra jobs but they don’t blame the Biden administration for it. Or they say even if former President Trump has a better plan for the economy, they don’t care because they don’t like him as a person.”
McAdams recalled the comment of one woman she interviewed at a Harris rally telling the Fox News Correspondent, ‘I’d rather pay more for items than have President Trump.’ Resounding comments like this have allowed McAdams to come to the conclusion, “People are very, very divided on personality more than policy.”
For those looking to follow in her footsteps, McAdams suggests, be active, be flexible, and work hard. “Get involved in it as much as you can. If you really know that you’re passionate about something early, great. I feel like most of the people that I was friends with in high school and college didn’t really know what they wanted to do.”
Even if you know exactly what you’d like to do McAdams says, “I think having a little bit of a looser plan might be good too, because there are some people that get so [focused, but] you have to have a little flexibility because [life] doesn’t always go to plan.”
Most importantly, she stressed you need to work hard. “There’s a lot more opportunities now for younger people,” she said. “You can get into those smaller markets, or you can get into a bigger market on a lower level. If you’re willing to kind of put in that time and work starting in those smaller markets is super important. Working in local news is what made my work a little bit different because I worked really hard. I worked in Rockford, Illinois, Indianapolis, Indiana and then Chicago. Those were the places that I learned everything.”
Krystina Alarcon Carroll is a news media columnist and features writer for Barrett Media. She has experience in almost every facet of the industry including: digital and print news; live, streamed, and syndicated TV; documentary and film productions. Her prior employers have included NY1 and Fox News Digital and the Law & Crime Network. You can find Krystina on X (formerly twitter) @KrystinaAlaCarr.
