CNN: Michelle Kosinski

Michelle Kosinski broke the cardinal rule of journalism in 2005 while covering a flooding event in New Jersey. She lied. She faked a scene on camera where she was paddling a canoe to demonstrate how deep the water was, only for two pedestrians to walk by in the shot behind her.

Somehow she overcame that breach of professional etiquette and just 4 short years later won an Emmy for her work covering the 2008 Presidential Election. These days she’s the White House correspondent for CNN.