Padilla's first reporting work was as an intern for
Bill Kurtis at
WBBM-TV. She then worked in
radio as an anchor and at Shadow traffic as a traffic editor. At
WFTV in
Orlando, Florida, she helped to run a news bureau. In 1995, she earned her first
Emmy Awards for breaking news coverage of an armed robbery and carjacking in Orlando by a murderer. In 2000, she received a second Emmy for her role in a New Year's Eve Millennium celebration piece while at WMAQ Channel 5 in Chicago. She has reported on many high-profile stories in Chicago, including exclusive interviews with
Betty Loren-Maltese on the day of her racketeering conviction and again when she was sentenced to eight years in federal prison. She also covered former Illinois
Attorney General Jim Ryan's battle with cancer, the unexpected loss of his young daughter and his wife's heart attack. In 2013, she was the commencement speaker at Northwestern College. "Anita Padilla will bring a flair of excitement as our 2013 commencement speaker," commented President Schumacher. "She's a local success story having grown up in the Chicago suburbs, and we have no doubt that she will inspire our graduates as they celebrate their own personal accomplishments." On December 27, 2023, Anita announced her retirement from journalism on FOX 32's Good Day Chicago but continues to maintain a presence on social media. ==Awards==