Yamiche Alcindor Is Next Moderator of PBS’ ‘Washington Week’
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Yamiche Alcindor, a veteran Washington correspondent, will take over as moderator of “Washington Week,” the venerable PBS Friday-night series that aims to add perspective to an always-churning news cycle.
Alcindor, currently the White House correspondent for “PBS NewsHour,” will continue in that role. She becomes just the ninth moderator in the history of the 54-year old program, which is produced by PBS affiliate WETA of Arlington, VA. She replaces Robert Costa, a Washington Post reporter who left the post earlier this year.
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“Yamiche is the right person at the right time for this role,” said Sharon Percy Rockefeller, president and CEO of WETA, in a prepared statement. “One of the most respected voices in journalism today, Yamiche is known for her command of public-policy issues and her intrepid work as a member of the White House press corps. With composure and tenacity, she has covered some of the most momentous political stories of our time, continually demonstrating the highest standards of journalism.”
Alcindor has covered the White House for “NewsHour” since 2018. Before that, she covered the campaigns of Donald Trump and Bernie Sanders for The New York Times. During the 2020 presidential election season, Alcindor was a moderator for the sixth Democratic primary debate. She is the recipient of the 2020 Aldo Beckman Award for Overall Excellence in White House Coverage from the White House Correspondents’ Association and the 2020 Gwen Ifill Award from the International Women’s Media Foundation.
“I am incredibly honored and grateful to take the helm of ‘Washington Week,’” Alcindor said, in a statement. “This show has an amazing legacy, and I am thrilled to step into it. I hope to build on it, to expand it and to bring this show forward distinctively into these times of challenge and controversy. In doing so, my guiding light will be serving our audiences and not shying away from the hard conversations about power and politics.”
“Washington Week” may be most associated with the tenure of Gwen Ifill, who moderated the program from 1999 until her death in 2016. Other past moderators include John Davenport, public affairs director for WETA and the show’s inaugural presence; Lincoln Furber, a former CBS News journalist; Max Kampelman, a Washington, D.C. attorney; Robert MacNeil, the co-anchor of “The MacNeil/Lehrer NewsHour”; Paul Duke, a former NBC News journalist; and Ken Bode, a former NBC and CNN correspondent. Alcindor has had a presence on the show in recent weeks, filling in as a guest moderator since Costa’s departure in January.
Jeff Bieber is executive producer of the program, while Ann Klenk is consulting producer. Sandy Petrykowski is senior producer. John F. Wilson is executive producer in charge.
Alcindor was born in Miami, Florida, to Haitian parents. She earned a bachelor’s degree in English, government and African American studies from Georgetown University. In 2015, she received a master’s degree in broadcast news and documentary filmmaking from New York University.
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