Rashida Jones is the new president of MSNBC, making her the first Black person to run a major cable news network.
Coming in as Phil Griffin steps downs after 12 years as MSNBC’s president is Rashida Jones. Jones was a senior vice president with a stellar portfolio at NBC News and MSNBC. The Wall Street Journal was the first to break the news; Jones will officially take her position on February 1.
CNN Business reports that the NBCUniversal News Group chair Cesar Conde announced the news Monday afternoon. “She has an outstanding track record, and she leads with a laser-like focus and grace under pressure. I know she will be an excellent leader for MSNBC,” Conde wrote in an internal memo, the outlet reports.
Conde said that Jones’ now predecessor, Griffin, came to him not long after the presidential election and expressed how he was ready to step down. Conde said, “[Griffin’s] desire to depart at a time of his choosing and when he felt confident about the strength of the network he loves.” He went on to say in his memo that Griffin “has many interests and passions outside news — and he is energized right now by the prospect of being able to participate in them professionally.”
Jones has been with MSNBC and NBC News since 2013 and rose to the senior vice president position for specials in 2017. Before that, she worked at The Weather Channel and local stations, CNN Business reports. Last year, Jones was put in charge of MSNBC’s daytime and weekend news schedule.
“In the last year alone, that has meant, of course, that she has masterfully guided our coverage of the global pandemic, the social justice protests and unrest, Decision 2020, and the two most-viewed Democratic presidential debates in television history,” Conde wrote on Monday.
