MSNBC President Rashida Jones Named Inaugural Recipient of Media Leadership Award
School of Communication and Media honor will be presented at a free public ceremony on October 27
Posted in: Communication and Media, Homepage News
On October 27, the School of Communication and Media at 麻豆传媒在线 will present the inaugural 鈥淢edia Leadership Award鈥 to Rashida Jones, President of MSNBC.
The award will be presented at a ceremony that is free and open to the University community and general public. Tickets can be reserved via .
The award builds upon the legacy of the previous 鈥淎llen B. DuMont Broadcaster of the Year Award鈥 which for 30 years honored luminary figures such as Lester Holt, Hallie Jackson, Ian Eagle, Deborah Norville, and many others. The new Media Leadership Award recognizes individuals who have had a significant national impact in the media industry across platforms and genres.
According to Keith Strudler, director of the School of Communication and Media, nobody better exemplifies the spirit of excellence of this award than Rashida Jones. 鈥淚n creating this award, we knew our inaugural winner had to embody innovation and excellence across a diverse media ecology, someone who leads across an expansive breadth of content forms and distribution platforms. That is Rashida Jones. She is a shining exemplar of our School鈥檚 pursuit of excellence.鈥
Jones became the first Black executive to lead a major television news network when she was named president of MSNBC. She is responsible for oversight of all programming, editorial units, business development and technical operations as well as MSNBC Films, a division of MSNBC that produces and acquires documentary features and short films for distribution across the NBCUniversal News Group platforms. Jones also oversaw the launch of the MSNBC hub on Peacock marking the expansion of MSNBC鈥檚 streaming footprint.
Before becoming president of MSNBC, Jones served as senior vice president, NBC News and MSNBC. Earlier in her career, she was the news director for the No. 1 NBC affiliate in Columbia, South Carolina. She was also director of live programming at the Weather Channel, where she led coverage of some of the nation鈥檚 most historic weather events, including Hurricane Katrina. Jones has been recognized with countless awards, including this year being named one of the 鈥淢ost Powerful People in New York Media鈥 by The Hollywood Reporter and receiving Hampton University鈥檚 2022 Outstanding Twenty-Year Alumnus Award.
The October 27 event will be held in the School of Communication and Media鈥檚 Presentation Hall. The presentation of the award will be followed by a conversation between Jones and聽Strudler聽where they will discuss her career, the state of American news, and her perspectives on the industry鈥檚 continued evolution. The event will also be streamed live on the University鈥檚 new streaming service Hawk Plus ().