ST. LOUIS — St. Louis native Max Diekneite is back in his hometown and now working nightside at Fox 2. He is a Clayton High School graduate of 2016 and a Mizzou alum. He spent three years as an evening anchor and investigative reporter in both Savannah, Georgia and Des Moines, Iowa.

“I love being back in St. Louis. I think we have the greatest city in America and being at Fox 2, it’s a homecoming on two fronts. I love the people here. My parents are very happy; my mom is thrilled to have one of her kids home,” said Diekneite. 

He was an intern at FOX2 in 2016. He worked with FOX2’s investigative reporter Chris Hayes, photographer Dave Sharp, and executive producer Susan Brubaker. They played a pivotal role in bringing him to where he is today.  

During his internship, they welcomed him and embraced him as part of the team, and he eagerly took on responsibilities. He worked on investigative pieces and helped build the interactive daycare incident map.  

“I went to Mizzou, but it was cool to be in a professional setting with a veteran reporter, a veteran photographer, and a veteran executive producer,” he said. “I really enjoyed that. It was just a great experience.” 

“They served as complete mentors. I admired them, and they continued to support and guide me, actively working to assist me throughout, leading to my job here,” he said.  

After his internship, Diekneite did not immediately end up at FOX2. He spent three years in Des Moines, Iowa, at KCCI, where he worked alongside other reporters during the 2020 Iowa caucuses. He also anchored breaking news events such as the George Floyd protests and central Iowa’s floods in 2018. He then went to work for WTOC in Savanah, Georgia.

While spending time in Savanah, Georgia, one of the biggest cases that he worked on was the Murdaugh murders, where disbarred Lowcountry attorney Alex Murdaugh was charged on June 7, 2021, for the killings of his wife, Maggie, and their youngest son, Paul.  

He also worked on a story about a plot of land that was near the site of the Weeping Slave Auction.

“It became this saga as they attempted to determine whether the designated plot of land would be used for constructing a Salvation Army homeless shelter. A group of activists opposed the shelter’s construction, claiming that the chosen site was indeed the intended one,” he said. “However, it was later discovered that the actual plot of land was adjacent to it. This led to a debate regarding the need for a memorial to commemorate the historical significance of the site, which remains the subject of an ongoing lawsuit.” 

Currently, Diekneite is reporting on the night shift at FOX2 and anchoring for the night broadcast. He focuses on investigative reporting, breaking news and anchoring the 11 p.m. newscast.