This post was written by Hatchet reporter James Lafaso

Political correspondent Chuck Todd told students Friday at GW Hillel he credited part of his success as a journalist to his willingness to embrace online reporting.

Todd, chief White House correspondent for NBC News, attended GW between 1990 and 1994, but dropped out just six credits short of earning his degree. He joined the Jewish student organization Friday for services and a talk about his career and the evolving journalism field.

Todd worked for multiple political campaigns while studying political science at GW. He then worked at The Hotline, a daily political briefing, for 15 years, serving as editor-in-chief for six years.

“Most major hotshots wouldn’t write for the Internet,” he said. Todd now edits NBC’s blog “First Read,” a guide to political news.

When Todd came to GW, he said the site of the School of Media and Public Affairs was a parking lot next to the former Tower Records building. His time at the University was marked by local political scandals like the arrest of former Mayor Marion Barry, who was released from prison in 1992 and went on to win a seat on the D.C. Council just months later.

The Arlington, Va. resident, who also hosts The Daily Rundown on MSNBC, told students the journalism industry is experiencing drastic changes with the advent of social media, and they should keep their career options open.

“Don’t turn your nose up at a small company,” he said. “You never know when that small company will be something big.”