Shock at MSNBC as boss makes very surprising choice for new politics editor
MSNBC boss Rebecca Kutler has tapped a longtime Wall Street Journal reporter to helm her network's new Washington bureau.
Kutler chose Sudeep Reddy for the position - her latest move since becoming the channel's president in February.
The decision was likely a surprise to some considering Reddy's straight news, unbiased pedigree, which also includes a lengthy senior managing stint at Politico.
Before that, Reddy, 45, spent nearly a decade with the Journal, where his coverage was deeply rooted in economics.
Washington policy is also Reddy's forte, his résumé shows - something Kutler likely considered when making the decision.
Meanwhile, MSNBC is simultaneously preparing for its impending split from NBC News and other NBCUniversal assets later this year.
Once it does, the left-leaning station will spearhead a completely new company called Versant, which will be comprised entirely of Comcast channels.
The bureau Reddy will oversee, on the other hand, was unveiled just this year - mere weeks before Kutler made waves by firing Joy Reid as one of her first maneuvers.
All come as part of Kutler's greater plan for the left-leaning network, which was met with a ratings boost during Trump's first term - that's since spun the other way.
However, it was Scott Matthews, MSNBC's senior vice president of newsgathering, who made the announcement regarding Reddy Thursday.
Matthews said Reddy - an adjunct professor at Georgetown University from 2014 to 2021 - will start as the network's first Washington Bureau Chief on Monday, June 16.
'In this new role, Sudeep will be responsible for building and leading MSNBC's Washington Bureau and DC-based newsgathering operation, including establishing a team of reporters to cover every corner of the nation's capital,' Matthews explained.
'Sudeep's appointment signals the importance of original and enterprise reporting for the future of MSNBC,' he continued, in a memo sent to staff.
'He will lead our Washington team to focus not just on the happenings inside Washington, but also on how decisions in the capital will impact people across the nation and around the world.'
Matthews - tasked with filling holes left by the absence of NBC News resources with a host of new hires - added how skills Reddy learned during his time at Politico will prove vital to MSNBC's emerging Washington operation.
'While at Politico, he launched dozens of new products, including newsletters, podcasts, live events and digital offerings,' Matthews touted.
Guided strategy and operations for the Politico Playbook during Trump's first term was also included in Reddy's realm of responsibilities, the exec explained.
'[He also] built the newsroom's first audio team from the ground up.'
Now, he will delegate tasks to an upstart DC team that will consists of more than 400 employees - a much larger sample set than the 150 he previously led at Politico.
Reddy will lead MSNBC's upstart D.C. team after leading a team of about 150 journalists at Politico. Prior to joining Politico in 2017, Reddy was both a reporter and editor for the Journal.
He will report directly to Matthews, the company said in a statement.
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