Alcindor 's first full-time job was as a reporter of '' Newsday '' , a newspaper based in Melville , New York . She was employed there for two years covering , among other things , the 2010 Haiti earthquake , until she became a multimedia reporter for '' USA Today '' based in New York City in December 2011 to cover national breaking news . For the newspaper , Alcindor reported on , among other things , the Sandy Hook Elementary School shooting , the shooting of Trayvon Martin , the Ferguson unrest , and the Baltimore protests . She was named " Emerging Journalist of the Year " by the National Association of Black Journalists in 2013 . That same year , Alcindor began to contribute to NBC News and MSNBC as a guest . Programs she has appeared on include '' Morning Joe , '' '' The Rachel Maddow Show '' , '' PoliticsNation with Al Sharpton '' , '' Hardball with Chris Matthews '' , and '' Meet the Press ''
Sandy Hook Elementary School shooting
Sandy Hook Elementary School shooting
Yamiche Alcindor