A Compassionate and Community-Focused Storyteller
Karys Belger is an Emmy-nominated reporter for 11Alive News in Atlanta, GA. She joined the team at 11Alive in October of 2021 and shoots, writes, and edits all her own stories. She focuses on breaking news and often overlooked members in her community. Major stories covered include the passing of and funeral service for President Jimmy Carter, the 2024 Apalachee High School Shooting, severe tornadoes and flooding, and the trial of Jordyn Jones and her boyfriend, Barron Brantley who were charged with killing roommate Alexis Crawford. Belger is also front and center enterprising stories for WXIA’s digital-first content initiative, including an exclusive interview with Eric Nam, Georgia-born K-Pop singer.
The day after the October 7th Hamas attack, Belger interviewed Israel’s Consul General to the Southeast and Georgia’s first Palestinian lawmaker.
During the latter part of COVID, Belger taught herself Korean after seeing a need in community storytelling. Atlanta is known as the “Seoul of the South.” She is proficient while speaking, fluent when reading, and uses it in her everyday reporting.
Belger was previously a reporter for the “Daybreak” morning show on WGRZ in Buffalo, NY. As a member of the Daybreak team, Belger covered everything from the investigation into Governor Andrew Cuomo to the preservation of Black American Sign Language.
Throughout the COVID-19 pandemic, Belger played an integral part in WGRZ’s coverage of how the pandemic impacted Buffalo’s Black community. She also used her perspective to enhance her station’s coverage of the Black Lives Matter Movement in Western New York.
Belger began her professional career began at WFTX in Fort Myers, Florida. While there, she immediately began reporting on the aftermath of Hurricane Irma and the use of the internet in human trafficking.
Belger has had work published digitally for the Baltimore Sun, Sojourners Magazine, and US News and World Report. She is also a member of the National Association of Black Journalists.
Belger was born and raised in the Washington, D.C./DMV area. She graduated from Spelman College and received her Master’s from the Medill School of Journalism at Northwestern University. She spent part of her academic career at Queen Mary University of London where she studied literature and theater. Belger has lived with Sickle Cell (SC) Disease all her life and she is passionate about using her platform to educate the public about the condition and the everyday struggles of people living with SC.
She is represented by Chelsea Sells of OManagment.