It’s the day of Joe Biden’s inauguration and a time for change across America as a new administration enters the White House and Biden becomes the 46th president of the United States. In a recent positive change, major news networks ABC, CBS, NBC, and CNN have all appointed women to lead as White House correspondents in their coverage of the Biden administration. For ABC, Cecilia Vega will be stepping in and replacing Jonathan Karl, and Kaitlan Collins takes on the role for CNN, replacing Jim Acosta. Nancy Cordes will serve as chief White House correspondent for CBS, and Kristen Welker will join Peter Alexander as a co-chief in White House coverage for NBC. Additionally, Yamiche Alcindor will continue covering the White House for PBS NewsHour, which she has done since 2018.
These new posts mark a significant change, as journalism is notoriously a male dominated institution. “I’ve always thought women belonged in the front row — whether that’s in the White House briefing room or any other. I am thrilled to be among this formidable group of reporters,” said Kaitlan Collins to CNN. The group includes women of color, marking another important stride. Yamiche Alcindor spoke to CNN Business on the importance of diversity in the field of journalism, saying: “It is clear that diversity in all forms including in gender and race is necessary to tell the stories of our generation in the most accurate and fair way. The American people are best served by a media that looks like the collage of experiences and backgrounds that make up this country.”
Women are set to lead White House coverage in print media as well. The Washington Post announced this week that Ashley Parker will replace Phillip Rucker as White House bureau chief for the paper. As President Biden enters office, it is also important to note that his communications team is entirely made up of women, which is a first in US history.
Sources:
“ABC, CBS, NBC and CNN’s Biden White House Correspondents Will All Be Women” https://people.com/tv/abc-cbs-nbc-and-cnns-biden-white-house-correspondents-will-all-be-women/
“Major news outlets name women to lead coverage of the Biden White House” https://www.cnn.com/2021/01/19/media/women-biden-white-house-coverage/index.html
“Women to lead major networks’ White House coverage at start of Biden era” https://thehill.com/homenews/media/534842-four-major-networks-will-have-women-as-chief-white-house-correspondents-at
