Chelsea Clinton is out as a special correspondent for NBC News.
The expectant mother, who began her journalism career with the network in November 2011, announced the news in a Facebook post on Friday.
“To continue focusing on my work at the Clinton Foundation and as Marc and I look forward to welcoming our first child, I have decided to leave my position as a NBC Special Correspondent,” Clinton wrote in a statement that was first reported by People.
When she joined the network, executives there said she was brought on to help air “good news” stories as part of NBC’s Making a Difference segments.
Clinton described her work as helping to call attention to stories “about remarkable people and organisations making a profound difference in our country and our world”.
Those included Carlos “Coach Khali” Sweeney, who runs Downtown Youth Boxing Gym, which Clinton said “offers kids on the east side of Detroit a lifeline through academic tutoring and boxing instruction”, and Peggy Candelaria, a principal in Albuquerque, New Mexico, whose organisation, Homework Diner, offers homework help and food for children and families in need.
After Politico reported this summer that Clinton was paid a US$600,000 annual salary for relatively few stories, social media commentators went wild – assessing her work as not worthy of such a large salary. (NBC never confirmed the price tag on Clinton’s contract.)
Journalism as a career has drawn relatives of other famous politicians. Former President George W. Bush’s daughter Jenna Bush Hager has been under contract with NBC since 2009 to produce segments for NBC’s Today show. Those have included features with her father and former first lady Laura Bush, her mother.
Meghan McCain, a daughter of Senator John McCain, had a brief contract with MSNBC; she also is a co-host of the late-night talk show TakePart Live and previously hosted a show called Raising McCain, both on Pivot, a small cable network.
So what’s next for Chelsea Clinton – aside from motherhood and her work with her family’s foundation
She recently said she is tired of being asked when she’ll run for elective office.
“Very few days go by when people don’t ask me that question,” she said during an appearance on Late Night with Jimmy Fallon this year. But she didn’t actually answer the question.
– The Washington Post
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