'Reinforces This Negative Stereotype': Chuck Todd Says Harris Made 'Mistake' By Delaying First Interview
Longtime NBC News television anchor Chuck Todd announced Friday that he is departing the network after nearly 20 years.
Todd wrote in a Friday memo to staffers that he will be focusing on new ventures and is taking his podcast, ChuckToddcast, with him in order to continue reporting the news. The now-former NBC News host began at NBC News in 2007 as a political director and became chief White House correspondent in 2008, before later becoming the host of “Meet the Press” in 2014.
“There’s never a perfect time to leave a place that’s been a professional home for so long, but I’m pretty excited about a few new projects that are on the cusp of going from ‘pie in the sky’ to ‘near reality,'” Todd said. “So I’m grateful for the chance to get a jump start on my next chapter during this important moment. The ChuckToddcast is also coming with me (thank you NBC). Stay tuned for an announcement about its new home soon. Needless to say, I do plan to continue to share my reporting and unique perspective of covering politics with data and history as important baselines in understanding where we were, where we are and where we’re going.”
The former “Meet the Press” host stated the media needs to start from the “bottom up” in order to regain the trust of the American public, who have largely moved away from the legacy media.
“The media has a lot of work to do to win back the trust of viewers/listeners/readers and I’m convinced the best place to start is from the bottom up,” Todd wrote in his memo. “At my core, I’m an entrepreneur — I spent my first 15 years professionally working for the company that started the political newsletter craze that dominates today. And this is a ripe moment. The only way to fix this information eco system is to stop whining about the various ways the social media companies are manipulating things and instead roll up our collective sleeves and start with local. National media can’t win trust back without having a robust partner locally and trying to game algorithms is no way to inform and report.”
NBC News said they are “grateful” for Todd’s “contributions” to the network in a statement following his announcement, Variety reported.
“We’re grateful for Chuck’s many contributions to our political coverage during his nearly two-decade career at NBC News and for his deep commitment to Meet the Press and its enduring legacy,” NBC News said. “We wish him all the best in his next endeavors.”
After nine years, Todd stepped down from hosting “Meet the Press” in September 2023 and passed the torch to its current host, Kristen Welker. While he still moderated the show, he brought the program into podcasting and launched a film festival in order to reach millennial audiences.
Todd was among the several staffers at NBC News who protested the hiring of former Republican National Committee chairwoman Ronna McDaniel as a paid contributor in March over her allegations that the 2020 presidential election was unfair. However, he gave credence to the now-debunked accusations that President Donald Trump’s 2016 campaign colluded with the Russian government to interfere in the election. The network decided to cut ties with McDaniel just two days after her debut on “Meet the Press.”
Todd also vowed to stifle debate about climate change during his run as host of “Meet the Press.” During a January 2019 episode of “Meet the Press,” Todd announced that he would no longer allow climate change skeptics to appear on the program to debate the contentious issue.
More veteran media hosts have exited their networks recently, most notably CNN’s Jim Acosta, who announced Tuesday that he was departing the network after nearly two decades after being asked to host his program during the midnight time slot.
NBC News did not immediately respond to the Daily Caller News Foundation’s request for comment.
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