Chris Jansing Named Senior White House Correspondent for NBC News

By Chris Ariens 

Jansing 304Changes are coming to NBC’s Washington Bureau.

NBC News President Deborah Turness has named Chris Jansing as the new Senior White House Correspondent and Peter Alexander as National Correspondent.

Jansing has been with NBC since joining as an MSNBC anchor in 1998. For the last several years she has split her time between anchoring a morning show on MSNBC, and reporting for “NBC Nightly News,” covering domestic news, foreign Olympics, and, most recently, the elevation to Sainthood of Popes John XXIII and John Paul II.

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From the White House, Jansing will report primarily for “Nightly News,” providing day-to-day coverage of the Obama administration and White House politics. Alexander will continue to report on the White House as well as national affairs beyond Washington DC. Kristen Welker also continues as White House correspondent.

“Chris will bring her editorial tenacity and passion for the story to this new role,” said Turness. “Her wealth of experience and her ability to connect the political story to the American people make her a valued addition to our White House team.”

“Chris Jansing has played an invaluable role at MSNBC for the better part of the past 15 years,” writes MSNBC president Phil Griffin in a note to staff. “She’s one of the hardest working journalists in the business and has always been there for us – no matter what time of day or night, or how big the story. Our heartfelt congratulations to Chris on this exciting new role. We look forward to seeing her reporting from Washington on MSNBC. We’ll have more to say about Chris’ replacement at 10 am in the coming weeks.”

NBC NEWS EXPANDS COVERAGE IN WASHINGTON, DC

CHRIS JANSING NAMED SENIOR WHITE HOUSE CORRESPONDENT

PETER ALEXANDER NAMED NATIONAL CORRESPONDENT

MAY 2, 2014 — NBC News President Deborah Turness and NBC News Political Director and Chief White House Correspondent Chuck Todd today announced two key promotions, naming Chris Jansing as NBC News’ Senior White House Correspondent and Peter Alexander as National Correspondent.

Jansing will return to NBC News full time next month, relocating from New York to join Todd, Alexander, and Kristen Welker in the unit. She will report primarily for “NBC Nightly News,” providing day-to-day coverage of the Obama administration and White House politics. Alexander will report not only on the White House but also on national affairs beyond Washington DC. MSNBC will announce Jansing’s replacement in the coming weeks.

“Chris will bring her editorial tenacity and passion for the story to this new role,” said Turness. “She is well known to the Nightly audience, having been a regular contributor for many years, and having covered every Olympics for Nightly News since 2006. Her wealth of experience and her ability to connect the political story to the American people make her a valued addition to our White House team.

“Peter’s versatility and talents as a modern day storyteller will now be seen across a wider range of NBC broadcasts and platforms. In addition to enhancing our coverage, we hope that this new structure will also allow Chuck Todd to dedicate more of his time to the signature razor-sharp analysis and expertise that our audiences can’t get enough of. Chris and Peter, along with Kristen Welker, give us a powerful ensemble covering the White House as we approach the mid-terms and the 2016 presidential elections.”

In addition to their primary responsibilities, both Jansing and Alexander will contribute to general White House coverage as needed, including travel, MSNBC appearances, and other cross-platform reporting. Kristen Welker will continue to report for both “TODAY” and “NBC Nightly News,” including weekend editions of both broadcasts. Chuck Todd will continue to provide his unmatched reporting and analysis across all broadcasts, while also bolstering his presence on digital platforms and driving the news division’s editorial coverage in his role as Political Director and Chief White House Correspondent. Todd is also the anchor of MSNBC’s “The Daily Rundown,” editor of NBCNews.com’s “First Read” blog, and a frequent contributor to “Meet the Press.”

Chris Jansing joined NBC News in June 1998, and has also anchored “Jansing and Co.” on MSNBC since October 2010. She anchored MSNBC’s coverage of the terrorist attacks on September 11 as the events unfolded, extensively covered several presidential campaigns for both NBC News and MSNBC, and hosted a series of reports called “Battleground America.”

Peter Alexander joined NBC News in 2004, and has served as White House Correspondent since December 2012. Previously, Alexander led the network’s on-the-ground coverage of the 2012 Republican presidential race, following GOP nominee Mitt Romney on the trail through Election Day.

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