On Monday, MSNBC announced that Meredith Bennett-Smith is the new managing editor of MSNBC digital.
Back in October, Bennett-Smith launched the network’s return to written commentary and opinion pieces on MSNBC.com, setting up a roster of MSNBC columnists, including on-air personalities like Mehdi Hasan and Trymaine Lee to Ali Velshi and Alicia Menendez.
In addition to her new role as managing editor, Bennett-Smith will continue to oversee THINK, the NBC News digital opinion section.
Before joining NBC News and MSNBC, Bennett-Smith served as deputy ideas editor for the digital news startup Quartz and identities editor at Mic.
Here’s the internal memo from MSNBC president Rashida Jones and NBC News digital news chief Catherine Kim to staff, obtained by TVNewser:
All,
We’re delighted to share some terrific news. Meredith Bennett-Smith has been named Managing Editor of MSNBC Digital effective immediately.
Meredith is already a familiar name and colleague to many of you. In October, she launched our return to written pieces on MSNBC.com, setting up an exclusive roster MSNBC columnists, including our own Mehdi Hassan and Trymaine Lee to Ali Velshi and Alicia Menendez. She brought new voices into the mix, beginning with staff writer Hayes Brown, while also recruiting feminist writer Liz Plank, intersectional thinker Patrice Peck, climate expert Emily Atkin and historian Kevin Kruse. And the kernel of what Meredith started with Hayes and MSNBC Digital Editor Clarissa Pharr five months ago was only the beginning. Digital is a big priority for MSNBC this year as we expand our footprint, extend our voice and truly connect our platforms to bring the next generation of MSNBC fans into the family.
Meredith did all that while also serving as Senior Editor of THINK, the popular NBC News digital opinion section with bylines that have ranged from senators to Hollywood stars on a variety of topics from how Dominion Voting and Smartmatic’s lawsuits are putting ‘disinformation’ on trial to the extraterrestrial potential of Martian pond scum.
Before joining NBC News and MSNBC, Meredith served as Deputy Ideas Editor for the innovative digital news startup Quartz and Identities Editor at Mic. She is a proud graduate of Cornell University, where she still mentors students at the Daily Sun, and a journalism adjunct professor at CUNY.
Meredith will continue to oversee THINK in her new role, but we will be hiring a new senior editor to join that team soon. She will report to Catherine Kim, as they collaborate across teams on our exciting next chapter of digital growth. Please join us in congratulating Meredith on a wonderful start.
Here we go!
Rashida and Catherine
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