Rashida Jones Just Became The First Black Woman To Lead A Major Television News Network

Breaking news!

Rashida Jones, a senior vice president for news at MSNBC and NBC News, has been named president at MSNBC, replacing longtime network head Phil Griffin. Cesar Conde, the chairman of the NBCUniversal Newsgroup, announced the decision via a memo to staffers Monday afternoon. Starting Feb 1, when she transitions, Jones will be the first Black woman to run a cable news network and the highest-ranking Black woman in the TV news industry. Conde praised Jones for her management of the George Floyd protests, the COVID-19 pandemic, and presidential election coverage.

“Rashida knows and understands MSNBC, in part because it’s where she started when she first joined NBCU seven years ago,” Conde said in the memo. “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.”

The 39-year-old Hampton University graduate worked as news director for NBC affiliate in Columbia, South Carolina, before joining MSNBC in 2013 as an executive producer. She was given oversight of MSNBC’s daytime news coverage this past April, adding weekend news programming to her skill set. This fall, she produced two presidential townhall events with the 2020 candidates and supervised Kristen Welker’s moderation of the second presidential debate. 

We agree. A seismic shift in the industry has occurred and it’s what we call, the best news. Congratulations!

Photo Credit: Virginia Sherwood/NBC