Jackie Bensen is a general assignment reporter for News4. She specializes in reporting breaking news, mostly for News4 at 11.
Bensen joined News4 in 1999 after spending 12 years at WTTG-TV in a variety of roles including news writer, special projects producer and, for the last few years, general assignment reporter. She has also worked for Media General's cable channel and in the Washington Bureau of Outlet Communications.
Bensen is frequently called upon to speak at community and public safety events. She has been a guest lecturer at the FBI's National Training Academy in Quantico. She has also served as grand marshal of the Montgomery County Humane Society's Walk in the Park and the City of Rockville Memorial Day Parade.
A Philadelphia native, Bensen came to Washington to attend American University where she earned a Master's Degree in Journalism and Public Affairs. She has an undergraduate degree in English Literature from Dickinson College in Carlisle, Pa.
Bensen and her family live in Montgomery County.
The Latest
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‘Taking away years of experience': NIH probationary employees fired Friday
Scientists and medical researchers being let go by President Donald Trump’s administration walked out of the gates of the National Institutes of Health in Bethesda, Maryland, Friday afternoon appearing shaken, some in tears, some walking arm-in-arm. The News4 I-Team learned Thursday that at least 216,000 probationary employees could be impacted, making up about 9.4% of the total federal workforce. Federal…
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DC residents, artists and relatives of JFK react to Kennedy Center shakeup
Less than 24 hours after the announcement that President Donald Trump had been voted as chair of the board of trustees, the Kennedy Center is seeing fallout from featured performers and some of the remaining board members.
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Possibility of federal health worker job cuts sparks fear in Montgomery County
A news report about a possible Trump administration executive order to fire thousands of federal health workers is sparking anxiety in Montgomery County. Administration officials denied that such an executive order is coming, but fear and anger in the community remain.
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Federal workers protest DOGE access to Treasury Department data
Federal workers gathered in Washington, D.C., to protest what Democratic members of Congress say is an illegal takeover of government personnel management by Elon Musk.
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‘Is it safe?' DC dog owners concerned about pets being electrocuted
D.C. dog owners are taking extra precautions after an extremely unusual situation earlier this month when two dogs were fatally electrocuted four hours apart on a downtown street. “Is it safe to walk our dogs or ourselves on our sidewalks?” Foggy Bottom Association Vice President Will Crane asked. Crane emailed the community asking people to let him know if...
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Pepco releases details after dogs electrocuted in Northwest DC
“The dogs were just walking by, and the concierge is like, ‘Hey, they’re yelping and they’re screaming as they come through the door.’” Advisory Neighborhood Commissioner Edward Daniels described the incidents constituents brought to his attention back in 2021. He said Pepco was asked to investigate after people reported their dogs received electric shocks as they walked into or...
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Two dogs electrocuted in Northwest DC
Neko Williams was walking his dog, King, near 19th and M streets NW in the snow Monday evening when King suddenly collapsed. Williams said he could feel mild electrical shocks coming from the ground as he knelt to help his beloved boxer. “I felt electricity on the ground, and throughout his body,” Williams said. King was not the only dog…
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Montgomery County video contest aims to raise awareness about opioids
A contest to increase opioid overdose awareness in Montgomery County features videos that are a “gut punch” look into the lives of high school and middle school students. The theme running like a raw nerve through many of the 600 student videos submitted to the Montgomery County State’s Attorney’s Office “Speak Up, Save A Life” contest is stress. The...
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DC tightens security after New Orleans attack, before Carter funeral and inauguration
The nation’s capital will soon host two significant events that draw large crowds: next week’s state funeral for former President Jimmy Carter, followed by Donald Trump’s second inauguration. After 15 people were killed and dozens injured in New Orleans on New Year’s Day and a second suspected terror attack in Las Vegas, extra precautions are going into place in...
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Woman hurt, burning building collapses after Northeast DC crash
A woman is seriously hurt and a burning building partially collapsed in Northeast D.C. early Thursday after a car crashed into the building, authorities say.