Checkey Beckford is an Emmy® Award-winning reporter for NBC 4 New York. She covers breaking news and general assignment stories, appearing weekdays at 5 PM, 6 PM and 11 PM.
Beckford’s reporting was a key component of NBC 4 New York’s award-winning COVID-19 coverage, honored in January, 2021 with the prestigious Alfred I. duPont-Columbia University Award for “creat(ing) a 360 view in real time of the coronavirus pandemic, with courageous and thorough reporting on the virus’s explosion in New York City.” The duPont has long been recognized as the broadcast, documentary and on-line equivalent of the Pulitzer Prize, also awarded by Columbia University.
Her commitment to journalistic excellence has been recognized with two New York Emmys® for her coverage of the 2017 Tribeca terrorist attacks. She was also presented with ESSENCE Magazine’s “Essential Heroes Award,” recognizing her coverage of 2020’s COVID-19 outbreak.
Throughout her time at NBC 4, Beckford has covered many of the region’s most memorable news stories. In addition to the Tribeca attacks, Beckford provided breaking news coverage of Superstorm Sandy in 2012, New York City’s Ebola scare in 2014, the deadly Metro-North crash in Valhalla in 2015, the twin murders of NYPD Officers Wenjian Liu and Rafael Ramos in 2015.
Checkey Beckford joined NBC 4 New York as a general assignment reporter in October 2012 from KOVR CBS13 in Sacramento, CA where she served as a live reporter for dayside newscasts. She began her career at WPTV in West Palm Beach, Florida, where she was hired as an associate producer. Here, Beckford was promoted twice in one year to weekend morning producer and then weekday morning producer.
Prior to joining KOVR CBS13, Beckford was a live reporter for WICD/WICS in Champaign/Springfield, IL where she shot, wrote and edited multiple stories for the 5 p.m., 6 p.m., and 10 p.m. newscasts.
Beckford grew up in Westchester County after emigrating from Jamaica when she was five. She attended Florida Atlantic University, where she received her bachelor’s degree in Communications with Minors in Political Science and Sociology.
In her spare time, Beckford enjoys mentoring teenagers who aspire to go to college and begin careers in journalism. She resides with her family in New Jersey.
The Latest
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Bellevue Worker in ‘Disturbing' Citi Bike Video on Leave Pending Review
A New York City hospital employee is facing criticism over a confrontation caught on cellphone camera that shows her get irate and scream amid a dispute over a Citi bike with a group of young Black men.
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NYC Subway Chokehold Death Ruled a Homicide, As Groups Demand Justice for Jordan Neely
The death of a homeless man who allegedly had threatened passengers aboard a New York City subway and was put into a chokehold by one of the riders has been deemed a homicide, according to the medical examiner.
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Hoboken Mayor Taking Names Over Water Emergency, Intends to Sue for ‘Negligence'
The city of Hoboken intends to sue utility PSE&G and a contractor over a crippling water main break that wrecked service for virtually the entire week, forcing a hospital evacuation and causing “substantial hardship” to the community. Hoboken Mayor Ravi Bhalla thanked residents for their patience in a Friday email update and said the city sent PSE&G notice it...
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JFK Terminal Shutdown May Last Days Amid Power Woes, FAA Warns; International Flights Disrupted
A developing travel nightmare at JFK Airport stretched into a second day Friday, with all inbound and outbound flights at the New York City hub’s international terminal halted — at least through the rest of the day and possibly longer. The fracas started around mid-morning Thursday, when JFK Airport first tweeted about a “power disruption” causing some terminal changes for…
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NJ Restaurant Is Banning Children Younger Than 10 Years Old From Dining There
A popular restaurant in New Jersey has implemented a new rule: No kids are allowed. And the decision has gotten people fired up, on both sides of the debate.
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Dead Woman Identified, Arrest Made in Murder Mystery at The Allure: What to Know
An arrest has been made in connection to the death of a 39-year-old woman found shot to death inside her luxury Long Island apartment after a welfare check over the weekend, authorities announced Wednesday. Mark Small, 55, was arrested and charged with second-degree murder and criminal possession of a weapon in the death of Marivel Estevez, Nassau police said. Attorney…
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LA Drill Rapper Identified in NYC Pharmacy Robbery Turned Murder: Sources
The man shot dead inside a Bronx pharmacy Thursday afternoon during an attempted robbery has been identified by senior police officials as Los Angeles-based drill rapper Avanti Frowner. The 27-year-old man was reportedly in the area scouting music venues with a friend before Frowner stopped by Amazing Pharmacy on East Tremont Avenue around 2 p.m., two senior police officials said….
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NYC Shop Owner Dies Weeks After Gruesome Rod Attack
The owner of a Queens pawn shop was struck in the head with a small rod in an attack so gruesome, police said they initially believed the victim had been shot.
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Family Reveals New Details on Man Eyed in NYC, DC Homeless Attack Spree
A 30-year-old man suspected of shooting five homeless men in New York City and Washington, D.C., in a targeted and at times deadly attack spree was once homeless himself, his family said, and has suffered from mental illness.
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Body Discovered in NJ River Could Be One of Three Missing Since Ida Floods Hit
A grim discovery was made a week after Idea devastated parts of New Jersey, as a body was recovered from the Passaic River, officials confirmed.
