NBC News executives Tom Namako and Carrie Budoff Brown have named Amanda Terkel the new managing editor of digital politics for NBC News. She begins her new role immediately.
With this appointment, Terkel will now direct and oversee digital coverage of elections and campaigns, breaking political news, and NBC News’ Washington, D.C. Digital operations as it gears for the 2024 election cycle.
Namako, the executive editor and vp of NBC News Digital, and Budoff Brown, the senior vp of NBC News politics, made the announcement on Tuesday morning in a memo, saying, “In her short time with NBC News, Amanda has had a big impact on the team and its journalism. Our coverage of electoral politics has become smarter and more urgent, exclusive and distinct. In just one example, NBC News has without question led the way on covering Ron DeSantis’s campaign for president, publishing scoop after scoop, including his close allies pushing for a major shakeup; his using government staff to solicit campaign cash; and a confidential memo seeking to reassure donors amid a wobbly start.”
Very excited to announce that @aterkel has been named Managing Editor, Digital Politics at @NBCNews! She’s had an amazing impact in her short time here — bringing journalists together and driving scoops. Looking forward to her leading the team into the 2024 election and beyond.
— Tom Namako (@TomNamako) July 25, 2023
Terkel takes over from Liz Johnstone, who recently departed NBC for The New York Times, where she will be stepping into a newly created role of news director for its politics desk.
As for Terkel, she joined NBC News in October 2022 after spending 12 years at HuffPost, where she was their editorial director and Washington bureau chief.
Read Namako’s and Budoff Brown’s memo below.
We are very excited to announce that Amanda Terkel is being named Managing Editor, Digital Politics at NBC News.
Amanda will now direct and oversee coverage of elections and campaigns, breaking politics news, and Washington, D.C. for Digital, leading the team into Decision 2024.
In her short time with NBC News, Amanda has had a big impact on the team and its journalism. Our coverage of electoral politics has become smarter and more urgent, exclusive and distinct. In just one example, NBC News has without question led the way on covering Ron DeSantis’s campaign for president, publishing scoop after scoop, including his close allies pushing for a major shakeup; his using government staff to solicit campaign cash; and a confidential memo seeking to reassure donors amid a wobbly start.
Amanda has also generated an incredibly collaborative environment across NBC News, leveraging the full strength of the news organization to deliver a competitive and fulsome report no matter where the information originates.
In this role, Amanda will continue to build the Digital team into a political reporting powerhouse and work closely with Ken Strickland and Chloe Arensberg. She will also strategize with the product team and dedicate staff to further develop our successful suite of election data pages, while also overseeing the relationship between Digital and The Decision Desk, working side-by-side during upcoming primary nights and, of course, into the general election.
Prior to joining NBC News, Amanda was editorial director and Washington bureau chief at HuffPost— where she crafted and directed the site’s defining and distinct political coverage. She moderated several forums for Democratic presidential candidates in 2020, including one featuring Joe Biden, Bernie Sanders, Elizabeth Warren, and more. Earlier, she was a senior political reporter and has edited and written accountability journalism focused on people across the political spectrum.
Amanda will report to both Carrie Budoff Brown and myself. She is based in Washington, D.C., and starts in her new role immediately. Please join us in congratulating her.
Tom and Carrie