UPDATE: In an interview with Deadline, Amna Nawaz and Geoff Bennett said that they would carry on the tradition set by Judy Woodruff on PBS NewsHour, but that they also were in sync on the future direction of the show.
The show’s return to a dual-anchor format also means that either of them may be in the field on some nights.
“We have a similar perspective,” Bennett said. “We are completely aligned in our view of what we want the show to be and what we intend to bring to the desk each and every night. At the end of the day we are reporters who also anchor, and that won’t change a bit.”
“Our north star has always been fair and accurate reporting that helps people to feel informed and empowered, and I think that is how we do our jobs moving forward,” Nawaz said.
Bennett said that he viewed their role “not so much as changing the broadcast but more as building on the rich foundation that already exists. So the in depth conversations, the solid storytelling, the kind of NewsHour features that you can’t find anywhere else, that won’t change at all. The program will change to the degree that we bring our wealth of experience and backgrounds and personalities to the desk, so that will change the dynamic.”
Nawaz, who has been substitute anchor since joining NewsHour in 2018, said that conversations began in earnest several months ago “as to how a transition would happen and as to what the future of the show would look like.”
“There is no place like NewsHour, and there’s only ever been four people who have sat at its helm, and so I was incredibly humbled to be part of the conversation and to be considered for this role, and the enormity of this moment and the responsibility ahead for us is not lost on me.”
Bennett said that Sharon Rockefeller, CEO of WETA-TV, and NewsHour‘s senior executive producer Sara Just reached out to him in the spring of 2021 “about opportunities with NewsHour with this transition in mind.”
“It was months of conversations but the thing that was always at the forefront for me was being super aware of the NewsHour‘s rich tradition, its legacy and the special place it holds in American life,” he said. “There are few places these days that have as its north star covering the news and delivering to the audience each and every night just a clear distillation of the facts in the news and the issues of the day.”
Nawaz also shared another interest that she and Bennett share in common: Early 90’s bad hip hop.
“It’s moments like that that get you through some of the tough spots,” she quipped.
PREVIOUSLY, 6:28 AM: PBS NewsHour made the official announcement on Wednesday that Amna Nawaz and Geoff Bennett would succeed Judy Woodruff as co-anchors of the newscast.
Nawaz has been chief correspondent for NewsHour and Bennett as been chief Washington correspondent and PBS News Weekend anchor.
They will start in their new roles on January 2. Woodruff announced earlier this year that she planned to step down as anchor of the broadcast, having served as solo anchor since 2016 and, before that, co-anchor with Gwen Ifill since 2013. Woodruff’s last newscast will be on Dec. 30, and she will then embark on a reporting project for PBS, Judy Woodruff Presents: America at a Crossroads.
The appointment of Nawaz and Bennett to succeed Woodruff confirms reports from earlier this year of a transition for the broadcast, which launched in 1975 with anchor Robert MacNeil. The newscast is now produced by WETA-TV in Washington, D.C.
Bennett and Nawaz will remain as NBC News and MSNBC contributors.
Bennett joined NewsHour earlier this year from NBC News, where he was White House correspondent and substitute anchor for MSNBC. He previously worked for NPR, first as an editor for Weekend Edition and later as a reporter covering Congress and the White House.
In a statement, Bennett said, “I’m proud to work with such a stellar group of journalists in pursuit of a shared mission — providing reliable reporting, solid storytelling and sharp analysis of the most important issues of the day.”
Nawaz has served as NewsHour‘s primary substitute anchor since she joined the newscast in 2018. She previously was an anchor and correspondent at ABC News, where she anchored breaking news coverage and livestream coverage of the 2016 presidential election. She previously served as foreign correspondent and Islamabad bureau chief for NBC News, and is founder and former managing editor of the network’s Asian America platform.
She said in a statement, “It’s never been more important for people to have access to news and information they trust, and the entire NewsHour team strives relentlessly towards that goal every day. I am honored to be part of this mission, to work with colleagues I admire and adore, and to take on this new role alongside Geoff as we help write the next chapter in NewsHour’s story.”
The newscast’s senior executive producer, Sara Just, said, “This is an exciting new chapter in
the nearly 50-year history of this esteemed news brand. But while Amna and Geoff are a new
generation of journalists, they share the same unwavering commitment to fair, careful and deep
reporting for which this program has always been known.”
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