Mark Whitaker named D.C. bureau chief at NBC

Jet, August 18, 2008 by Marti Parham

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NBC News recently announced that Mark Whitaker has been named as the network's Washington bureau chief.

A former Newsweek magazine editor, Whitaker, 50, joined NBC last year as senior vice president of news in New York. He assumes many off-camera duties held by the late Tim Russert, who died of a heart attack in June.

As bureau chief, Whitaker will be in charge of the news show "Meet the Press" as well as NBC News' election and political coverage. He will also make occasional appearances as an on-air analyst. "... I am thrilled to get to work with our unparalleled team of NBC reporters and producers in Washington," he said.

Whitaker, an award-winning journalist who attended Harvard University and Oxford University, worked as an intern at Newsweek and later served as its editor from 1998 to 2006.

From 2006 to 2007 he served as vice president and editor in chief of new ventures at Washingtonpost.Newsweek Interactive, creating online projects for Newsweek's parent, the Washington Post Co.