On February 1st, 2021, Rashida Jones will make history as president of MSNBC. That will make the Hampton University graduate the first Black leader of a news network! She currently holds the Senior Vice President role at NBC and MSNBC.
While at Hampton, Rashida Jones got her start in college by majoring in broadcast journalism. She has since been inducted into the Scripps Howard Journalism Hall of Fame and Hampton University’s 40 under 40 Society. Her expertise lies in breaking news and major events coverage. While serving as Director of Live Programming at The Weather Channel, Jones led coverage and programming of rare weather events including mass tornado outbreaks, heavy snow storms, and Hurricane Katrina. She has also covered significant elections that include Primary and Presidential Debates.
Jones joined NBC in 2013 as an Executive Producer, and in 2014 was named Managing Editor at MSNBC Dayside. She went above and beyond as a News Director for NBC’s Columbia, South Carolina affiliate. She focused her efforts on a rebrand at the station that prioritized deep investigative reporting. While she was there, the station sat comfortably at #1 in the market. Rashida joined NBC as an Executive Producer in 2013, and in just one year was named Managing Editor at MSNBC Dayside.
“Rashida knows and understands MSNBC, in part because it’s where she started when she first joined NBCU seven years ago,” said Cesar Conde in an email to NBC News employees. Conde serves NBCUniversal News as Group Chairman. “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.” According to an NBC report, Conde went on to note that over the last year, Jones has guided MSNBC’s coverage of the Covid-19 pandemic, the 2020 election, and the unrest of social justice protests. She also lent a hand in ensuring the two series “Justice for All” and “Climate in Crisis” were influential at the network.
Rashida will be replacing current MSNBC president Phil Griffin, who has held his position for over 25 years. Her appointment is the first major role filled in Conde’s goal to have NBC News staff of NBC News be made up of 50 percent women and 50 percent people of color. Considering that MSNBC is under the umbrella of NBCUniversal News Group, with NBC News and CNBC, this opportunity will lead to nothing but more open doors for Rashida Jones.
