Beth McDonough

Beth McDonough was a tenacious, resourceful, and seasoned television crime and public safety reporter. With a sparkle in her eye, an inviting smile, engaging personality, All-American good looks and a friendly demeanor, she was a paradox. Beth thrived on uncovering scandals, breaking news stories and holding those in power accountable. Her tv news job covering other people’s lives was everything to her until Beth was ultimately forced to dig deep and confront perhaps the darkest story of all, hers. Two DUIs completely ruined her life, and now she is speaking out on her recovery and 16 years of sobriety.
Her journalism career began in the small town of Joplin, Missouri. She moved (a lot) and worked her way up from a rookie reporter and anchor into major markets like Oklahoma City, Houston, Philadelphia, New York and Minneapolis. During her broadcasting career, she worked for some of the biggest network owned affiliates and handled live reports for MSNBC, CNBC, CNN & ABC. FOX News in Minneapolis came calling and back to the Midwest she went. Beth rounded out her investigative reporting career at a top-notch news station: KSTP-TV in St. Paul.
She earned several Emmy's for breaking news and was part of the KSTP-TV team awarded the duPont Columbia Award, the highest standard of journalism, for coverage of the officer involved death of George Floyd in May 2020 and the racial reckoning riots that erupted immediately afterward in Minneapolis/St. Paul and spread throughout the country. Beth also covered 9/11, broke the story of Prince's drug overdose death, reported for hours on end during the 35W bridge collapse, was the first to report Jayme Closs' escape from her kidnapper, the same person who murdered her parents 3 months prior, and was featured in a Lifetime documentary with a champion herself, Elizabeth Smart, focused on other survivors of abduction and sexual assault throughout the United States.
Beth lives with her two rescue wiener dogs amid the red rock mountains in the sunny paradise of SW Utah in the middle of five national parks. She enjoys hiking, yoga, reading, writing, traveling to new places and taking in different cultures. After running hard in the fast lane of the news life, she found her place and peace in the desert. Her memoir, Standby, is set to release in the Summer of 2025.