NEW YORK – NBC’s “Today” show has hired someone with White House experience as a new correspondent — former first daughter Jenna Hager.
The daughter of former President George W. Bush will contribute stories about once a month on issues like education to television’s top-rated morning news show, said Jim Bell, its executive producer. Hager, a 27-year-old teacher in Baltimore, said she has always wanted to be a teacher and a writer, and has already authored two books. But she was intrigued by the idea of getting into television when Bell contacted her.
“It wasn’t something I’d always dreamed to do,” she said. “But I think one of the most important things in life is to be open-minded and to be open-minded for change.”
She’ll essentially work two part-time jobs as a correspondent and in her school, where she will be a reading coordinator this year. Bell said he got the idea after seeing Hager in two “Today” appearances. She was on the program two years ago to promote her book about an HIV-infected single mother, “Ana’s Story: A Journey of Hope,” and it went so well that a short interview was stretched to nearly a half hour. She and her mother, Laura Bush, also co-hosted an hour of “Today” around the time their picture book came out.
She “just sort of popped to us as a natural presence, comfortable” on the air, Bell said. Hager will work out of NBC’s Washington bureau. “I think she can handle it,” he said. “I think she knows something about pressure and being under some scrutiny. When she came here for a handful of appearances, she knocked it out of the park.”
He expects her first story, most likely concerning education, to be on sometime next month.
A first television job on “Today” is, in her father’s world, sort of like a run for president as a first attempt at elective office. Hager said that people on the show “have always made me, whenever I’ve been there, feel very comfortable.”
Yeah, like I needed another reason NOT to watch the TODAY Show.
I’ll watch her. She seems intelligent and is cute.
Thanks for the picture, that’ll haunt me all day!!
McCullough are such a small minded left wing liberal nutcase that you hate some one simply because they carry a common gene to some one you blindly hate
If she were any color other than Bush white you would be called a racist because they use the same ignorance to hate as you do
Bitter much?
#3. Hmm, that’s funny. Mr. Fusion thinks I’m a right wing nutjob…much like yourself.
I’m so confused.
Actually, I just hate the TODAY show and see this as an desperate attempt to boost ratings, as indicated in the graphic that accompanies the post. But read into it what you like, I couldn’t care about Jenna Bush one way or the other.
The article talks about a woman named Jenna Hagar, not Jenna Bush. Article Title Fail
Hey McCullough! What are you some sort of centrist nutjob? This and then you post the brown shirt reference, too? Dammit! They haven’t reintroduced the fairness doctrine, have they? 😉
[McCollough’s trying to take some of the heat off Cherman.
– ed.]
well if I misunderstood your story than I apologize. But here the left wing nut cases rule so you can possibly understand that any thing I read here I will take as a leftist slam on any thing conservative.
Well, like any other anchor, if she does well she will be kept. If she does poorly and the ratings go down she will be fired.
Frankly I do not see the problem here. She is not her father, and anyone who judges her based on her father is an idiot. Let a person create their own identity, and judge them on that.
Mitchell- apology accepted. But you have been a reader here longer than I have been an editor. And you pull this crap anytime anyone speaks out against Republicans. Take the blinders off for little while. Try to judge issues based on their merit and not party affiliation. We all need to do this.
FWIW, about the only politician I trust these days is Ron Paul…and not because he’s an (R).
Jenna in 2016. The new face of the central faction of the Republican Party. Better looking and younger than Palin. Has those Bush family connections. Knows how to party. Has street cred from living in Baltimore. What more could you want? Team her up with Cheney’s gay daughter and you have the winning ticket.
Hey #6, She got married and changed her name…. or are you just a maroon?
#6 cracked me up really bad. 🙂 There’s even a link that has info about her last name acquisition 😀
Oh well. Fail on a fail I guess? Never understood this “fail” thing. 🙂
#12 and #13
Oh course she got married and changed her name. She is still no longer a Bush; she is a Hagar.
She deserved to be judged by her own actions, not who her family is.
Was this daughter the fat drunk or the cute drunk?
So she’s one of the partying Bush twins? Where has the time gone?
# 14 Benjamin,
Spoken well, AMEN!!!
That is exactly what America is about.
It’s not your family, it’s not your wealth, it’s not your education, heritage, race, color, etc …, it’s what you do, it’s your actions that count.
Actions speak louder then words (Are you listening Obama?).
#17 The only problem with that noble sentiment is that she only got the job because of her family connections. Or is someone going to try to argue with a straight face that she’s a serious journalist?
But it’s somehow fitting, actually — like father, like daughter. Dubya gave a whole new meaning to the term “assisted living” when his daddy bailed him out of all his failed businesses.
# 18 Phydeau,
If only, you could see my face now?
Now to argue, yes there is likely a strong element of Dubya influence (directly or indirectly) in the hiring calculus NBC’s “Today” show used, however; will you still give her to opportunity to demonstrate what she has to offer or will you just flippantly dismiss her outright?
Yep, America is a meritocracy. Anyone can rise up through the ranks and succeed. As long as your family is rich and famous. I’m sure there’s no one in the nation more qualified to be a correspondent on education than a 27 year old who only has a couple years experience teaching and has no experience in journalism or broadcasting.
And I’m sure that it was her merit alone that got her a job teaching at a charter school straight out of college when those are the toughest jobs to get and teachers with English degrees are a dime a dozen.
“Now to argue, yes there is likely a strong element of Dubya influence (directly or indirectly) in the hiring calculus NBC’s “Today” show used”
Yeah, it’s only “likely”.
Jeez, what an idiot.
# 21 Noname no brain,
WoW!!! Amazing. Agreeing with me, then calling me an idiot.
I am impressed. I haven’t seen such unaware mental self impalement in a while. Very, very impressive. The Doctors must love you.
Almost as impressive as your previous postings
“A poster with identity disorder with another without personality”
Don’t forget, noname is not capitalized you freak!!
Jenna…..she was the fatter one, right? How come she didn’t pump out a few kids already?
I’m shocked that they didn’t get Chelsea Clinton for the job.
This must be some form of penance for NBC.
# 18 Phydeau said, “…is someone going to try to argue with a straight face that she’s a serious journalist?”
You got it! I am sick and tired of women getting the news jobs just because they look good or have influence. We need more “serious” journalists like, er, Katie Couric!