NABJ Congratulates Rashida Jones on Historic Tenure at MSNBC
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The National Association of Black Journalists (NABJ) congratulates longtime member Rashida Jones on her remarkable tenure and barrier-breaking impact as the first Black woman to lead MSNBC as president.
When Jones was named to the role in 2021, she became the first Black woman executive to run a major cable news network. As president, according to NBCUniversal, she was responsible for oversight of all programming, digital expansion, new businesses, editorial units, business development, and technical operations.
“I came to this decision over the holidays while reflecting on our remarkable journey and the many successes we’ve achieved together as a team. This has been the most rewarding chapter of my professional career, and I am immensely proud of what we have accomplished, which has been made possible only by you,” Jones said to her team, according to NBC News.
Jones’s announcement that she was stepping down this week and will serve at MSNBC in an advisory role through March 2025 was met with a celebration of her contributions by Mark Lazarus, former chairman of NBCUniversal Media Group and future CEO of SpinCo. He said in a memo that she “expertly navigated MSNBC through a years-long, unrelenting and unprecedented news cycle, all while driving the network to record viewership and making investments in nonlinear businesses.”
NABJ President Ken Lemon said Jones has left an indelible mark on the news industry.
“Rashida Jones has inspired our members to pursue news and media leadership no matter the odds against them,” Lemon said. “She has encouraged future generations of journalists and communicators to take on challenging roles that will allow them to make a difference in how stories are told globally. We applaud her leadership and wish her the best in her next chapter.”
Jones previously served as senior vice president for NBC News and MSNBC, leading coverage of breaking news and major events while also overseeing dayside and weekend news programming on MSNBC.
She is a two-time Emmy winner, three-time Murrow Award winner, and recipient of the RTDNA 2022 First Amendment Award.
Jones has been honored for her leadership by the National Action Network, the National Urban League, the National Association for Multi-Ethnicity in Communications, and ColorComm. She was inducted into the Hampton University Scripps Howard Journalism School Hall of Fame in 2019.
Read more about her departure from NBC here: https://www.nbcnews.com/business/business-news/msnbc-president-rashida-jones-steps-four-year-tenure-rcna187574.