Shawna Thomas, a veteran journalist who has enjoyed stints as a Washington producer, news executive and a morning-show honcho, is joining MS NOW after wrapping up a stint as the executive producer of “CBS Mornings.”
Thomas has been named political director, and will direct coverage of campaigns and elections. She will also appear on air across various MS NOW platforms. She joins MS NOW as news networks prepare for the 2026 midterm elections, a news event that typically draws broader audiences and boosts ratings.
“It will be an honor to work with everyone at MS NOW to help inform an audience that craves context and meaning, along with the political machinations of the moment. It’s no secret that I’ve missed Washington, D.C., and this is a homecoming of sorts,” Thomas said in a statement. “I get to reunite with Luke Russert and Peter Alexander, both of whom I produced for. I get to work with Kate Farrell again, who was an invaluable part of my team at ‘CBS Mornings.’ I get to mix it up with Madeleine Haeringer, who helped make me a better producer at ‘VICE News,’ where we both worked with Antonia Hylton. The one and only Rachel Maddow was the first anchor to put me on television (I don’t remember what I talked about, but I’m sure it was super nerdy and procedural).”
Thomas has logged stints as Washington D.C. bureau chief for Vice, where one landmark segment she produced in which a reporter embedded herself among white supremacists who occupied a park in Charlottesville, Va., won a Peabody Award. She also experimented with short-form programming well ahead of the industry, working as a content-development executive at Quibi. She is also known for a long tenure working at NBC News as a producer on Capitol Hill and at the White House and as a senior producer at “Meet the Press.”
CBS News had been trying to get her to stay as a contributor or even on-air analyst, according to two people familiar with the matter.
“Bringing Shawna on board strengthens our ability to position MS NOW at the center of the 2028 election, which is expected to be one of the most competitive in recent history,” said Sudeep Reddy, MS NOW’s Washington bureau chief, in a statement. “Given the scale, reach, and impact of our audience, we are well-positioned to play a leading role, with the road to the midterms and the White House running through MS NOW.”
More to come….
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