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NBC News Chair Cesar Conde: I Made Decision to Sever Ties With Ronna McDaniel

“I want to personally apologize to our team members who felt we let them down. While this was a collective recommendation by some members of our leadership team, I approved it and take full responsibility for it.”

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A photo of Cesar Conde
(Photo: Jeffery Salter/ Fortune)

On Tuesday, NBC News ended its relationship with former RNC chair Ronna McDaniel after just five days due to intense internal backlash over the hire. The network’s News chairman, Cesar Conde, is taking responsibility.

In a memo sent to employees Tuesday, Conde says he approved McDaniel’s hiring, and ultimately made the decision to remove her from the outlet’s list of contributors.

“After listening to the legitimate concerns of many of you, I have decided that Ronna McDaniel will not be an NBC News contributor. No organization, particularly a newsroom, can succeed unless it is cohesive and aligned. Over the last few days, it has become clear that this appointment undermines that goal,” Conde wrote. “I want to personally apologize to our team members who felt we let them down. While this was a collective recommendation by some members of our leadership team, I approved it and take full responsibility for it.”

McDaniel — who has also been dropped by the CAA talent agency — has reportedly been seeking legal representation to explore potential breach of contract litigation with the network.

NBC News announced the hiring of the former Republican leader on Friday, which led to scrutiny from staffers angered by McDaniel’s previous comments about the press and her role in attempting to overturn the results of the 2020 election.

However, in her first paid appearance for the network, she told Meet the Press‘ Kristen Welker that Donald Trump did not win the election in 2020, and that the process was not rigged against him. It was the first time she publicly admitted those sentiments. She inferred that she felt a duty to back the former President’s claims as RNC chair, and will have more freedom as a political analyst at NBC News.

“Now, I get to be a little bit more myself,” she told Welker, before being lambasted by former moderator Chuck Todd for her lack of credibility.

After the appearance, several MSNBC hosts — including Joe Scarborough, Mika Brzezinski, Nicolle Wallace, Rachel Maddow, and Lawrence O’Donnell — shared their extreme displeasure with the hiring, which ultimately led Cesar Conde to reverse course.

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News Television

Poppy Harlow to Depart CNN

“She’s been a wonderful colleague at CNN, and we know she will have much success in her future endeavors.”

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A photo of Poppy Harlow
(Photo: CNN)

Longtime CNN anchor Poppy Harlow has announced her intention to leave the cable news outlet.

Since joining CNN 16 years ago, Harlow eventually ascended to the role of morning anchor alongside Don Lemon and Kaitlan Collins for CNN This Morning. The brainchild of now-departed CEO Chris Licht, the program got off to a disastrous start in the ratings before Lemon was fired in April of last year. Collins then left the program for a primetime role at the network.

Harlow was then paired with the network’s former White House Correspondent Phil Mattingly, but the pairing continued to struggle, garnering about a third of the audience of competitors Morning Joe (MSNBC) and FOX and Friends (Fox News).

In February, the network announced it was scrapping the morning program helmed by Harlow and Mattingly in favor of an expanded CNN News Central.

In a memo to staffers obtained by Vanity Fair, Harlow shared her appreciation and admiration for her longtime television home.

“When I walked in the door at CNN in 2008, I was 25 years old and had never been on live TV. Green is an understatement!” Harlow wrote. “I grew up here: as a journalist and as a person,” she added. “This place has shaped me as a leader, taught me resilience, shown me the value of perspective and how to make hard decisions.”

Poppy Harlow added that she was offered a new role at the network, but declined, leading to her departure.

“Poppy is a unique talent who combines formidable reporting and interviewing prowess with a human touch that audiences have always responded to,” network President and CEO Mark Thompson said in a statement. “She’s been a wonderful colleague at CNN, and we know she will have much success in her future endeavors.”

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News Television

Dan Rather Makes Return to CBS News for CBS Sunday Morning Interview

CBS confirmed the news in a statement, saying “Lee Cowan talks with former CBS News anchor Dan Rather about his work at CBS and his life in news.”

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Photo by nrkbeta CC BY-SA 2.0.

After departing CBS News in 2006, Dan Rather will make his first return appearance as the subject of an interview on CBS Sunday Morning.

CBS confirmed the news in a statement, saying “Lee Cowan talks with former CBS News anchor Dan Rather about his work at CBS and his life in news.”

The now 92-year-old departed the network amid a scandal in 2006 over his reporting on then-President George W. Bush’s military record. In 2004 reports for 60 Minutes Wednesday, it was alleged Rather utilized fabricated documents to allege misconduct by Bush during his tenure with the Texas Air National Guard.

At the time, the longtime newsman said he regretted using the documents in the story. However, he later reneged on that statement, stating no one had ever proved the files to be fraudulent.

The situation reportedly hastened his exit from the network, seeing him exit the anchor chair of CBS Evening News in 2005 after 24 years as the lead anchor. He later exited the network altogether in 2006 after 44 years at the outlet.

CBS Sunday Morning airs at 9 AM ET and is hosted by Jane Pauley.

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News Television

CNN Elevates Gloria Pazmino to Network Correspondent

“Grateful for this next opportunity with (CNN) to continue delivering stories that make a difference,”

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A photo of Gloria Pazmino
(Photo: CNN)

CNN has announced it is promoting Gloria Pazmino to a role as a New York-based correspondent for the network.

After previously working as a correspondent for CNN Newsource and the 1,000 affiliate partners, she has been elevated to working with the cable giant.

“Grateful for this next opportunity with (CNN) to continue delivering stories that make a difference,” Pazmino wrote in a post to X. “Thank you to everyone who has supported me along the way.”

She has spent extensive time covering New York Mayor Eric Adams (D), the special election to replace Rep. George Santos (R-NY), and the collapse of the Francis Scott Key Bridge in Baltimore earlier this year.

Previous stops for Pazmino include Spectrum News NY1 and Politico. The bilingual Pazmino earned a bachelor’s degree in journalism from St. John’s University.

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