Gwen Ifill, the host of PBS' "Washington Week" and senior correspondent for the "NewsHour with Jim Lehrer" may have a new job.
The New York Times reported Ifill, who is scheduled to speak at the Commonwealth Club Jan. 28, has been contacted by NBC News regarding replacing the late Tim Russert as permanent host of "Meet the Press."
The article points out NBC News has gained criticism over a lack of promoting minorities in high profile positions at the network.
The website dontletNBCdiswomen.org is protesting the network's lack of women and minorities, noting all five Sunday morning public affairs programs are hosted by white males.
While the group does not advocate any one journalist, it does offer CNN's Campbell Brown, NBC's Andrea Mitchell and the aforementioned Ifill.
Speculation on Russert's replacement has raged for months, with names such as the bombastic Chris Matthews, NBC political analyst Chuck Todd and former White House correspondent David Gregory topping the list.
Ifill's name, though, has been bandied about for months.
On his blog at Atlantic.com, Matthew Yglesias, speculated in June that Ifill would be a great choice for the Sunday spot if NBC chose to hire someone outside the network.
Controversy followed Ifill during the lone vice presidential debate held Oct. 2 when conservatives claimed her forthcoming book called, The Breakthrough: The Politics and Race in the Age of Obama would cloud her objectivity.
0 comments:
Post a Comment
Thank you for visiting us. Please post your message. We ask that all comments be considerate of the many viewpoints and backgrounds of our other readers.