Jen Psaki Announces She Is a Journalist

Jen Psaki, the former Biden White House press secretary who landed a hosting gig with MSNBC in 2022, now considers herself a journalist in league with mainstream and legacy media outlets.

Asked by Ben Smith, editor in chief of Semafor, whether the former spox identified as a member of the fifth estate, Psaki answered emphatically.

“I do. Because how do you define being a journalist?” Psaki countered. “Here’s how I think about it. I mean, first of all, journalism has changed dramatically. Semafor is an example of that,” Psaki said during an interview at the media summit hosted by the news startup on Monday.

“And even when I was in the White House, working in government, it really was already all on a spectrum. It wasn’t just the New York Times, Washington Post, ABC News, and then everything else wasn’t considered part of journalism, it’s all a big, broad, scope of things,” Psaki elaborated with outstretched arms.

“And so to me, journalism is providing information to the public, helping make things clearer, explaining things,” the former Press Secretary added. “So I think there is a broad expansion of what that is.”

Psaki was hired by MSNBC in May 2022 to provide “her unique perspective from behind the podium and her deep experience in the highest levels of government and presidential politics,” the network noted in an official release last year.

MSNBC President Rashida Jones said much the same in a statement calling Psaki’s “extensive experience in government and on the campaign trail and perspective as a White House and Washington insider is the type of analysis that sets MSNBC apart.”

Her departure for a sympathetic Democratic media network led many to question whether the job was a prime example of the revolving political door between Washington D.C.’s political and media classes. Many within the news network privately anonymously shared their frustrations over the appearance of impropriety following Psaki’s hiring.

“People wanted answers on what NBC’s role was in this and NBC News had no role in this. This is MSNBC’s perspective programming,” one source told CNN.

However, Psaki remains unperturbed by the optics. “I have always gone over and above the stringent ethical and legal requirements of the Biden administration and I take that very seriously,” Psaki responded to critics.

“And as a standard for every employee of the White House, I have received rigorous ethics counseling, including as it relates to any future employment,” she added.

Psaki served as President Biden’s first press secretary before stepping down barely over a year into her appointment for the MSNBC hosting job.

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