Shawna Thomas Named Executive Producer of CBS News’ ‘CBS This Morning’

From CBS: Shawna Thomas has been named executive producer for CBS News’ ‘CBS This Morning.” Thomas will begin her new assignment at CBS News’ flagship morning news broadcast with co-hosts Gayle King, Anthony Mason and Tony Dokoupil on Feb. 1.

“Shawna Thomas is one of the top news minds in our field,” said Susan Zirinsky, president and senior executive producer of CBS News. “She’s a hands-on storyteller, accomplished journalist and an inspiring leader. Shawna has consistently embraced new ways and platforms to deliver high-quality journalism to audiences everywhere. She has the passion and experience to take ‘CBS This Morning’ to the next level during these transformational times.”

“When CBS News decided to bring the news back to the mornings many years ago, I took note and cheered them on for not trying to just copy the other network morning shows. I am excited to join a show that is determined to inform the audience without pandering to them and use those precious two hours, as well as unlimited time online, to expand the creative storytelling that the journalists of CBS News are already famous for,” said Shawna Thomas.

Thomas brings to the role a deep background in reporting and storytelling for television and digital audiences that has broken new ground and resonated with viewers. Her work has earned her recognition from her peers with four Emmy awards, a Peabody, a Gracie Award and two Scripps Howard honors.

She joins CBS News from Quibi, where she served as a content development executive working on short-form news programming from CBS News, NBC News and BBC News for the mobile video platform.

Before Quibi, Thomas spent three years at Vice News as the Washington, D.C. bureau chief, overseeing politics and policy coverage for HBO’s nightly newscast “Vice News Tonight.” Thomas was behind the program’s major political stories, including the Emmy-winning episode covering the Brett Kavanaugh Supreme Court confirmation hearings, President Trump’s meeting with Russian President Putin in Helsinki and the 2018 midterm election. Thomas also was a senior producer on “Vice News Tonight’s” “Charlottesville” episode, which earned four Emmy awards and the Peabody Award.

Previously, Thomas worked at NBC News for just over a decade. From 2014 to 2016, Thomas was a senior producer at NBC News’ “Meet the Press,” where she oversaw the broadcast’s digital profile and helped remake the show when Chuck Todd took over as moderator.

Between 2011 and 2014, she traveled the world covering former President Barack Obama for NBC News. Earlier, she was a Capitol Hill producer for the network. During her tenure at NBC News, Thomas was sent on assignments that included political convention coverage, ziplining in Alaska, and detainee trials at Guantanamo Bay all while making time to try to get to a karaoke bar if time and scheduling allowed. She began her career at NBC as a news associate in 2006.

Thomas earned a BA in political communication from The George Washington University and a master’s degree in broadcast journalism from the University of Southern California.