Jen Psaki, Once the Voice of Biden, Moves to an Anchor Chair

MSNBC viewers may not care either way. In this tribal moment in media and politics, Americans tend to flock to news sources that reaffirm their beliefs. When Mr. Stephanopoulos moved from Bill Clinton’s White House to ABC News in 1996, it set off alarm bells among media ethicists. That was a less partisan era.

“As an analyst, the thing I told myself was, ‘How do you maintain your integrity and do your job?’” Mr. Stephanopoulos said in an interview, reflecting on his transition into TV. “For me it was, it was appropriate to say on the air what I would say in a meeting. Sometimes that could be critical: If the president took an action that I would have argued against in the meeting, I’d have no problem making that point.”

Ms. Psaki reached out to Mr. Stephanopoulos for advice shortly after leaving the White House. “The balancing act is, how are you consistent with your past work and your past beliefs, and still constructive for the audience,” he recalled telling her. “That’s applicable then, today and tomorrow.”

Ms. Psaki, who took a few months off over the summer traveling with family, said the debut of “Inside” meant that her political career was officially over. “I am not joining a re-elect ever again,” she said. “Nor do I have any plans to go back to government. Ever.”

How about running for office?

“God forbid,” Ms. Psaki said. “That’s my worst nightmare.”

Article source: https://www.nytimes.com/2023/02/21/business/media/jen-psaki-msnbc.html