Words by Rosalind Thacker
After joining the network seven years ago, Rashida Jones now takes over MSNBC, and in doing so makes history.
On Monday, NBC Universal announced that the news channel’s current president, Phil Griffin, will be leaving on February 1, 2021. He has worked at MSNBC since 1996 and been president of the network for the last 12 years. Ascending to his place will be Senior Vice President Rashida Jones, who will become the first Black woman to lead a major cable news network.
NBCUniversal’s Chairman of News Operations, Cesar Conde, shared the news of the 39-year-old’s monumental promotion via a memo to the staff. He wrote:
“Rashida knows and understands MSNBC, in part because it’s where she started when she first joined NBCU seven years ago. […] She knows that it is the people who work here that make it great, and she understands its culture. She also appreciates the impact and potential of the brand.”
Jones was the producer of two highly successful presidential debates. Donald Trump and Joe Biden debated in a town hall, and were moderated by NBC correspondent Kristen Welker, the first Black woman to perform this role (solo) in decades. Jones was also an instrumental figure in leading coverage of the COVID-19 crisis, and produced a number of editorial series covering pivotal moments in our history, including Justice for All and Climate in Crisis.
In an interview with MSNBC’s Mika Brzezinski in October, Jones discussed the challenge of covering breaking news during the COVID-19 pandemic: “If you would’ve told me in January that we were moving the entire organization to their bedrooms and living rooms, I would have laughed. But now it has become so seamless. It’s unbelievable what we’ve been able to do.”
The news of Jones’ promotion comes less than a week after MSNBC announced Tiffany Cross and Jonathan Capehart would take Joy Reid’s previous weekend slot, and will be launching new shows. Joy Reid premiered her own nightly news show on the network in July, making her the first Black woman since the late Gwen Ifill to host a primetime news show.
MSNBC is taking real steps to promote younger, more diverse talent, and we are all glad to see it.