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Rashida Jones named president of MSNBC

07 December 2020
Dan Ackermann

Rashida Jones will be the next president of MSNBC, Axios has confirmed. She will replace longtime MSNBC executive Phil Griffin when she starts on February 1.

Why it matters: Griffin has been with MSNBC since it was founded 25 years ago and has worked in the NBC News family for 35 years. His legacy includes hiring and elevating major talent, including Lawrence O'Donnell and Chris Hayes, as well as overseeing the launches of major programs both in daytime and primetime.

Details: According to a note sent to staff by Cesar Conde, chairman of NBC News Group, Griffin let Conde know after the election that he wanted to leave. He has agreed to stay on at MSNBC through the end of January to ensure a smooth transition. 

Jones is a well-respected industry veteran, and has been with MSNBC for seven years.

  • In his note, Conde credited Jones with having helped lead the company through major breaking news events this year, including the pandemic and the election.
  • She is credited with having helped the network launch a slew of digital products, including NBC News' new streaming service, NBC Now.

The big picture: The move is the first major shakeup in the news division under Conde, who was appointed head of the newly-formed NBC News Group — which includes MSNBC, CNBC and NBC News — in May.

  • Earlier this year, Conde said that he wanted to eventually have 50% of news organization employees to be women and 50% of their total workforce be people of color.

Transcripts show George Floyd told police "I can't breathe" over 20 times

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Newly released transcripts of bodycam footage from the Minneapolis Police Department show that George Floyd told officers he could not breathe more than 20 times in the moments leading up to his death.

Why it matters: Floyd's killing sparked a national wave of Black Lives Matter protests and an ongoing reckoning over systemic racism in the United States. The transcripts "offer one the most thorough and dramatic accounts" before Floyd's death, The New York Times writes.

The state of play: The transcripts were released as former officer Thomas Lane seeks to have the charges that he aided in Floyd's death thrown out in court, per the Times. He is one of four officers who have been charged.

  • The filings also include a 60-page transcript of an interview with Lane. He said he "felt maybe that something was going on" when asked if he believed that Floyd was having a medical emergency at the time.

What the transcripts say:

  • Floyd told the officers he was claustrophobic as they tried to get him into the squad car.
  • The transcripts also show Floyd saying, "Momma, I love you. Tell my kids I love them. I'm dead."
  • Former officer Derek Chauvin, who had his knee on Floyd's neck for over eight minutes, told Floyd, "Then stop talking, stop yelling, it takes a heck of a lot of oxygen to talk."

Read the transcripts via DocumentCloud.