Career
He was the Washington correspondent for National Broadcasting Company from December 1942 to 1970. In the 1940s he had a 15-minute Monday-Friday newscast on National Broadcasting Company radio. Before going into broadcasting, Harkness was the Washington correspondent for the Philadelphia Inquirer.
Journalism scholar Edward Bliss Junior. wrote that Harkness "suggested that Roosevelt include freedom from fear in his "Four Freedoms" speech before Congress in January 1941."
Harkness had the first regularly scheduled National Broadcasting Company television newscast from Washington.
He interviewed government officials on the 15-minute weekly program, which began January 7, 1948. Beginning January 14, 1952, he had a Monday-Friday 11:45-noon (Eastern Time) newscast from Washington on National Broadcasting Company. Harkness headed the national Radio Correspondents Association in 1945.
On November 8, 1960, Harkness joined newsmen Chet Huntley and David Brinkley at the anchor desk for the National Broadcasting Company News coverage of the Kennedy-Nixon election night returns. Harkness" roll was explaining to viewers the use of computer vote tabulation, relatively new at that time, by the Radio Corporation of America 501 computer.
National Broadcasting Company, at that time, was a branch of the Radio Corporation of America corporation.
Harkness, retiring from National Broadcasting Company in 1972, later joined President Gerald R. Ford"s anti-drug abuse program as press representative.
