News anchor with WXYZ-TV
Carolyn Clifford is a 17-time Emmy Award-winning journalist who, since 2002, co-anchors WXYZ’s 4, 6, and 11 pm newscasts.
Carolyn was born and raised in the city of Detroit. She is one of 10 children with nearly 60 nephews and nieces.
She graduated from Michigan State with a degree in Broadcast Journalism. While at MSU, she was a member of the Army ROTC.
Carolyn’s start at WXYZ-TV came from her previous jobs on WPGH-TV in Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania, and WLFL-TV in Raleigh, North Carolina. Carolyn also worked at the CBS affiliates in both Orlando, Florida, and Lansing, Michigan, but got her real start in news at a small radio station in Lansing.
In 2015, Carolyn was among a handful of journalists selected from across the country and the only news anchor in Michigan to be invited to the White House to interview President Obama about the Iran Nuclear Deal. It was one of the proudest moments of her career. Additional memorable moments in broadcasting include interviewing Oprah Winfrey, Barbara Walters, and NBA legends Michael Jordan and Earvin “Magic” Johnson. Carolyn has covered everything from hurricanes in North Carolina to former South African President Nelson Mandela’s first visit to Michigan after he was freed from prison.
Carolyn has been named “Woman of the Year” by the YWCA of Western Wayne County. She has also been honored by the Detroit City Council and Detroit Urban League for her community and volunteer work in the Metro Detroit area. One of Carolyn’s passions is speaking out against domestic violence at numerous area events. She has also reached out and personally helped many victims of domestic violence.
Carolyn has received many professional accolades for her reporting and anchoring work at 7 Action News. She has also been honored by the Associated Press, the Michigan Association of Broadcasters, and given a special tribute by the Karmanos Cancer Institute as one of their “Heroes of Breast Cancer.”
Carolyn often speaks at area schools and community organizations. One of Carolyn’s favorite quotes is from Martin Luther King Junior in 1963: “The ultimate measure of a man or woman is not where he or she stands in moments of comfort and convenience, but where he or she stands at times of challenge and controversy.”
