David Shuster
Encyclopedia
David Martin Shuster is an American television journalist who has been an anchor for MSNBC
and who has also worked for Fox News and CNN
. He anchored MSNBC Live
weekdays from 10-11am and 3-4pm ET and filled in for Keith Olbermann
, Chris Matthews
, Ed Schultz
and Rachel Maddow
on their respective shows. Shuster was MSNBC's lead "breaking news anchor," and anchored prime time coverage of several stories including the death of Michael Jackson, congressional votes for health care reform, and the earthquake in Haiti. Shuster's high profile career has included some controversies; the most recent, an indefinite suspension on April 6, 2010, came from MSNBC after he auditioned for a new political show on CNN
. He did not appear on MSNBC again, as his contract expired while serving his suspension. On June 6, 2011, it was confirmed that Shuster was hired by Keith Olbermann
and Current TV
to serve as "primary substitute anchor" for the network's re-launch of Countdown with Keith Olbermann
.
. He is the son of Arnold Shuster of Bloomington and Susan Klein of Nashville
, Indiana
, and stepson of Robert Agranoff, married to his mother, and Rose Mahern-Shuster, married to his father; he has one brother, Jonathan. As a child, he was part of the Zionist Youth Leadership Training movement Young Judaea
. He graduated in 1985 from Bloomington High School South
, and with honors from the University of Michigan
. He is in the process of completing a Master of Arts degree
in International Affairs at Georgetown University
. He was married on May 27, 2007 (at age 39) to journalist Julianna Lee Goldman, at the Sixth & I Historic Synagogue
, in Washington, D.C.
. On January 10, 2011, the Washington Post published a report that Goldman and Shuster had separated. The couple had no children.
Washington, D.C. bureau. He was an assignment editor and field producer
from 1990 to 1994, covering both the Persian Gulf War
and the 1992 presidential election
campaign. Shuster left CNN in 1994 to become a political reporter for the ABC
affiliate
KATV
in Little Rock, Arkansas
, covering the Whitewater scandal
. During this period, Shuster led KATV's coverage of the indictment, trial, conviction, and resignation of Arkansas Governor Jim Guy Tucker
. At KATV, Shuster won a regional Emmy Award
for investigative journalism
for his reporting on a manufactured housing
scandal.
. He was at the Pentagon
at the time of the September 11, 2001 attacks
and led Fox's coverage of U.S. military operations in Afghanistan
. During the Clinton Administration, Shuster led Fox's coverage of the Clinton investigations including Whitewater, the Monica Lewinsky
scandal, the Starr Report
and the Senate
impeachment trial.
Shuster was also a member of Fox's "You Decide 2000" political team. He spent four months on John McCain
's "Straight Talk Express" bus and was Fox's lead correspondent for McCain's presidential campaign.
, where he provided coverage from the United States Central Command
during Operation Iraqi Freedom for hourly live reports in prime time
. Later, he was in California
for two months for MSNBC's television program Hardball with Chris Matthews
as lead correspondent on the 2003 California recall election
, in which Governor
Gray Davis
was recalled and actor Arnold Schwarzenegger
was elected. In 2004 he led the show's coverage of the presidential campaign
, including leading the "ad watch team," which analyzed 150 campaign ads
. In all, he has filed more than 700 correspondent reports for the show.
Occasionally, Shuster filled in for Chris Matthews
on Hardball.His daily reporting on the Valerie Plame affair drove the story into the mainstream press. During the trial relating to the Plame affair
, Shuster blog
ged for Hardball on Hardblogger about the Lewis "Scooter" Libby trial
and about other political matters. In addition to this, Shuster has also filled in for commentator Keith Olbermann
on Countdown
.
In August 2005, Shuster reported from the eye of Hurricane Katrina
as it made landfall in Biloxi, Mississippi
; Shuster’s reports aired on MSNBC and NBC Nightly News
. Shuster also spent several weeks reporting on the aftermath of Hurricane Katrina from New Orleans.
On September 24, 2007, Shuster interviewed Congresswoman Marsha Blackburn
while filling in on Tucker Carlson's
show. When Shuster asked about her response to the MoveOn.org ad campaign concerning General David Petraeus
's Iraq war testimony, he followed up by then asking her the name of the last soldier from her congressional district who had been killed in Iraq
; she was not able to name the soldier. Shuster mentioned that it was 18-year-old Jeremy Bohannon, and asked Blackburn why she was not able to recall the name. Blackburn's office soon claimed that Bohannon was not actually from Blackburn's congressional district, but was from the congressional district of Rep. John Tanner
. However, while Bohannon did grow up in Tanner's district, his legal residence for the year prior to his enlistment was in Blackburn's district.
After the promotion of David Gregory
to Meet the Press
, Shuster was named interim host of 1600 Pennsylvania Avenue before being announced as the permanent host.
, Shuster discussed Chelsea Clinton
's campaigning for her mother Hillary Clinton, her efforts to influence superdelegates, and her refusal to answer any questions by the media. When his guest, Bill Press
, pointed out that Bush's daughters campaigned for their father, Shuster noted the different access rules in each case and responded, "There's just something a little bit unseemly to me that Chelsea's out there calling up celebrities, saying support my mom … doesn't it seem like Chelsea's sort of being pimped out in some weird sort of way?"
The Clinton campaign demanded an apology and stated that Clinton might not participate in any further debates on MSNBC. Shuster was temporarily suspended from all NBC News
and MSNBC appearances for his comments. Before the suspension Shuster had engaged in a heated e-mail exchange with a Clinton staffer in which he defended his remarks.
Shuster's two-week suspension from on-air duties ended on February 22, 2008.
, without the knowledge or permission of MSNBC.
on Current TV
.
for his coverage of the 2005 National Disabled Veterans Sports Clinic and the hour-long special that accompanied it on MSNBC.
MSNBC
MSNBC is a cable news channel based in the United States available in the US, Germany , South Africa, the Middle East and Canada...
and who has also worked for Fox News and CNN
CNN
Cable News Network is a U.S. cable news channel founded in 1980 by Ted Turner. Upon its launch, CNN was the first channel to provide 24-hour television news coverage, and the first all-news television channel in the United States...
. He anchored MSNBC Live
MSNBC Live
msnbc Live is an American news / talk television program on MSNBC hosted by Thomas Roberts.Focusing on live news coverage, the program also consists of guest analysis and interviews around the stories of the day, in addition to feature-like stories, in-depth special reports, and The Weather Channel...
weekdays from 10-11am and 3-4pm ET and filled in for Keith Olbermann
Keith Olbermann
Keith Theodore Olbermann is an American political commentator and writer. He has been the chief news officer of the Current TV network and the host of Current TV's weeknight political commentary program, Countdown with Keith Olbermann, since June 20, 2011...
, Chris Matthews
Chris Matthews
Christopher John "Chris" Matthews is an American news anchor and political commentator, known for his nightly hour-long talk show, Hardball with Chris Matthews, which is televised on the American cable television channel MSNBC...
, Ed Schultz
Ed Schultz
Edward Andrew "Ed" Schultz Is an American television and radio host and a liberal political commentator . He is the host of The Ed Show, a daily news talk program on MSNBC, and The Ed Schultz Show, a talk radio show, nationally syndicated by Dial Global, promising "straight talk."-Early...
and Rachel Maddow
Rachel Maddow
Rachel Anne Maddow is an American television host and political commentator. Maddow hosts a nightly television show, The Rachel Maddow Show, on MSNBC. Her syndicated talk radio program, The Rachel Maddow Show, aired on Air America Radio...
on their respective shows. Shuster was MSNBC's lead "breaking news anchor," and anchored prime time coverage of several stories including the death of Michael Jackson, congressional votes for health care reform, and the earthquake in Haiti. Shuster's high profile career has included some controversies; the most recent, an indefinite suspension on April 6, 2010, came from MSNBC after he auditioned for a new political show on CNN
CNN
Cable News Network is a U.S. cable news channel founded in 1980 by Ted Turner. Upon its launch, CNN was the first channel to provide 24-hour television news coverage, and the first all-news television channel in the United States...
. He did not appear on MSNBC again, as his contract expired while serving his suspension. On June 6, 2011, it was confirmed that Shuster was hired by Keith Olbermann
Keith Olbermann
Keith Theodore Olbermann is an American political commentator and writer. He has been the chief news officer of the Current TV network and the host of Current TV's weeknight political commentary program, Countdown with Keith Olbermann, since June 20, 2011...
and Current TV
Current TV
Current TV, or Current, is a media company led by former U.S. Vice President Al Gore and businessman Joel Hyatt. Comcast owns a ten percent stake of Current's parent company, Current Media LLC....
to serve as "primary substitute anchor" for the network's re-launch of Countdown with Keith Olbermann
Countdown with Keith Olbermann
Countdown with Keith Olbermann is an hour-long weeknight news and political commentary program that airs on Current TV, where it began airing on June 20, 2011. The program was broadcast on MSNBC from March 31, 2003, to January 21, 2011. On MSNBC, the show presented five selected news stories of...
.
Personal life
Shuster was born in Bloomington, IndianaBloomington, Indiana
Bloomington is a city in and the county seat of Monroe County in the southern region of the U.S. state of Indiana. The population was 80,405 at the 2010 census....
. He is the son of Arnold Shuster of Bloomington and Susan Klein of Nashville
Nashville, Indiana
Nashville is a town in Washington Township, Brown County, Indiana, United States. The population was 803 at the 2010 census. The town is the county seat of Brown County and is the county's only incorporated town...
, Indiana
Indiana
Indiana is a US state, admitted to the United States as the 19th on December 11, 1816. It is located in the Midwestern United States and Great Lakes Region. With 6,483,802 residents, the state is ranked 15th in population and 16th in population density. Indiana is ranked 38th in land area and is...
, and stepson of Robert Agranoff, married to his mother, and Rose Mahern-Shuster, married to his father; he has one brother, Jonathan. As a child, he was part of the Zionist Youth Leadership Training movement Young Judaea
Young Judaea
Young Judaea is a peer-led Zionist youth movement that runs programs throughout the United States for Jewish youth in grades 2-12. In Hebrew, Young Judaea is called Yehudah Hatzair or is sometimes referred to as Hashachar, which means the dawn....
. He graduated in 1985 from Bloomington High School South
Bloomington High School South
Bloomington High School South is a high school in Bloomington, Indiana. The school currently uses a schedule consisting of three 12-week trimesters. Each class period is 65 minutes, with a 45-minute SRT period on Mondays, 45-minute Panther Plus Periods on Tuesday, Thursday, and Friday...
, and with honors from the University of Michigan
University of Michigan
The University of Michigan is a public research university located in Ann Arbor, Michigan in the United States. It is the state's oldest university and the flagship campus of the University of Michigan...
. He is in the process of completing a Master of Arts degree
Master of Arts (postgraduate)
A Master of Arts from the Latin Magister Artium, is a type of Master's degree awarded by universities in many countries. The M.A. is usually contrasted with the M.S. or M.Sc. degrees...
in International Affairs at Georgetown University
Georgetown University
Georgetown University is a private, Jesuit, research university whose main campus is in the Georgetown neighborhood of Washington, D.C. Founded in 1789, it is the oldest Catholic university in the United States...
. He was married on May 27, 2007 (at age 39) to journalist Julianna Lee Goldman, at the Sixth & I Historic Synagogue
Sixth & I Historic Synagogue
The Sixth & I Historic Synagogue is a non-denominational, non-membership, non-traditional Jewish synagogue located at the corner of Sixth Street and I Street, NW in the Chinatown neighborhood of Washington, D.C. It is one of the oldest synagogues in the city...
, in Washington, D.C.
Washington, D.C.
Washington, D.C., formally the District of Columbia and commonly referred to as Washington, "the District", or simply D.C., is the capital of the United States. On July 16, 1790, the United States Congress approved the creation of a permanent national capital as permitted by the U.S. Constitution....
. On January 10, 2011, the Washington Post published a report that Goldman and Shuster had separated. The couple had no children.
Early career
Shuster started his journalism career at CNN'sCNN
Cable News Network is a U.S. cable news channel founded in 1980 by Ted Turner. Upon its launch, CNN was the first channel to provide 24-hour television news coverage, and the first all-news television channel in the United States...
Washington, D.C. bureau. He was an assignment editor and field producer
Electronic field production
Electronic field production is a television industry term referring to a video production which takes place in the field, outside of a formal television studio, in a practical location or special venue...
from 1990 to 1994, covering both the Persian Gulf War
Gulf War
The Persian Gulf War , commonly referred to as simply the Gulf War, was a war waged by a U.N.-authorized coalition force from 34 nations led by the United States, against Iraq in response to Iraq's invasion and annexation of Kuwait.The war is also known under other names, such as the First Gulf...
and the 1992 presidential election
United States presidential election, 1992
The United States presidential election of 1992 had three major candidates: Incumbent Republican President George Bush; Democratic Arkansas Governor Bill Clinton, and independent Texas businessman Ross Perot....
campaign. Shuster left CNN in 1994 to become a political reporter for the ABC
American Broadcasting Company
The American Broadcasting Company is an American commercial broadcasting television network. Created in 1943 from the former NBC Blue radio network, ABC is owned by The Walt Disney Company and is part of Disney-ABC Television Group. Its first broadcast on television was in 1948...
affiliate
Affiliate
An affiliate is a commercial entity with a relationship with a peer or a larger entity.- Corporate structure :A corporation may be referred to as an affiliate of another when it is related to it but not strictly controlled by it, as with a subsidiary relationship, or when it is desired to avoid...
KATV
KATV
KATV, channel 7, is an ABC affiliated television station serving the Little Rock television market and central Arkansas. The station is owned by Allbritton Communications Company....
in Little Rock, Arkansas
Little Rock, Arkansas
Little Rock is the capital and the largest city of the U.S. state of Arkansas. The Metropolitan Statistical Area had a population of 699,757 people in the 2010 census...
, covering the Whitewater scandal
Whitewater (controversy)
The Whitewater controversy was an American politics controversy that began with the real estate investments of Bill and Hillary Clinton and their associates, Jim and Susan McDougal in the Whitewater Development Corporation, a failed business venture in the 1970s and 1980s.A New York...
. During this period, Shuster led KATV's coverage of the indictment, trial, conviction, and resignation of Arkansas Governor Jim Guy Tucker
Jim Guy Tucker
James "Jim" Guy Tucker, Jr. is an Arkansas political figure. He served as the 43rd Governor of Arkansas, the 11th Lieutenant Governor of Arkansas, Arkansas Attorney General, and U.S. Representative...
. At KATV, Shuster won a regional Emmy Award
Emmy Award
An Emmy Award, often referred to simply as the Emmy, is a television production award, similar in nature to the Peabody Awards but more focused on entertainment, and is considered the television equivalent to the Academy Awards and the Grammy Awards .A majority of Emmys are presented in various...
for investigative journalism
Investigative journalism
Investigative journalism is a form of journalism in which reporters deeply investigate a single topic of interest, often involving crime, political corruption, or corporate wrongdoing. An investigative journalist may spend months or years researching and preparing a report. Investigative journalism...
for his reporting on a manufactured housing
Manufactured housing
Manufactured housing is a type of prefabricated housing that is largely assembled in factories and then transported to sites of use...
scandal.
Fox News
From 1996 to 2002, Shuster was a Washington, D.C.-based correspondent for the Fox News ChannelFox News Channel
Fox News Channel , often called Fox News, is a cable and satellite television news channel owned by the Fox Entertainment Group, a subsidiary of News Corporation...
. He was at the Pentagon
The Pentagon
The Pentagon is the headquarters of the United States Department of Defense, located in Arlington County, Virginia. As a symbol of the U.S. military, "the Pentagon" is often used metonymically to refer to the Department of Defense rather than the building itself.Designed by the American architect...
at the time of the September 11, 2001 attacks
September 11, 2001 attacks
The September 11 attacks The September 11 attacks The September 11 attacks (also referred to as September 11, September 11th or 9/119/11 is pronounced "nine eleven". The slash is not part of the pronunciation...
and led Fox's coverage of U.S. military operations in Afghanistan
Afghanistan
Afghanistan , officially the Islamic Republic of Afghanistan, is a landlocked country located in the centre of Asia, forming South Asia, Central Asia and the Middle East. With a population of about 29 million, it has an area of , making it the 42nd most populous and 41st largest nation in the world...
. During the Clinton Administration, Shuster led Fox's coverage of the Clinton investigations including Whitewater, the Monica Lewinsky
Monica Lewinsky
Monica Samille Lewinsky is an American woman with whom United States President Bill Clinton admitted to having had an "improper relationship" while she worked at the White House in 1995 and 1996...
scandal, the Starr Report
Starr Report
The Starr Report was an investigative account of United States President Bill Clinton by Independent Counsel Kenneth Starr and released on September 11, 1998.-Background:...
and the Senate
United States Senate
The United States Senate is the upper house of the bicameral legislature of the United States, and together with the United States House of Representatives comprises the United States Congress. The composition and powers of the Senate are established in Article One of the U.S. Constitution. Each...
impeachment trial.
Shuster was also a member of Fox's "You Decide 2000" political team. He spent four months on John McCain
John McCain
John Sidney McCain III is the senior United States Senator from Arizona. He was the Republican nominee for president in the 2008 United States election....
's "Straight Talk Express" bus and was Fox's lead correspondent for McCain's presidential campaign.
MSNBC
Shuster left Fox News for MSNBC/NBC in 2002. In early 2003, he traveled to QatarQatar
Qatar , also known as the State of Qatar or locally Dawlat Qaṭar, is a sovereign Arab state, located in the Middle East, occupying the small Qatar Peninsula on the northeasterly coast of the much larger Arabian Peninsula. Its sole land border is with Saudi Arabia to the south, with the rest of its...
, where he provided coverage from the United States Central Command
United States Central Command
The United States Central Command is a theater-level Unified Combatant Command unit of the U.S. armed forces, established in 1983 under the operational control of the U.S. Secretary of Defense...
during Operation Iraqi Freedom for hourly live reports in prime time
Prime time
Prime time or primetime is the block of broadcast programming during the middle of the evening for television programing.The term prime time is often defined in terms of a fixed time period—for example, from 19:00 to 22:00 or 20:00 to 23:00 Prime time or primetime is the block of broadcast...
. Later, he was in California
California
California is a state located on the West Coast of the United States. It is by far the most populous U.S. state, and the third-largest by land area...
for two months for MSNBC's television program Hardball with Chris Matthews
Hardball with Chris Matthews
Hardball with Chris Matthews is a talk show on MSNBC, broadcast weekdays at 5 and 7 PM hosted by Chris Matthews. It originally aired on now-defunct America's Talking and later CNBC. The current title was derived from a book Matthews wrote in 1988, Hardball: How Politics Is Played Told by One Who...
as lead correspondent on the 2003 California recall election
California recall election, 2003
The 2003 California gubernatorial recall election was a special election permitted under California state law. It resulted in voters replacing incumbent Democratic Governor Gray Davis with Republican Arnold Schwarzenegger. The recall effort spanned the latter half of 2003...
, in which Governor
Governor of California
The Governor of California is the chief executive of the California state government, whose responsibilities include making annual State of the State addresses to the California State Legislature, submitting the budget, and ensuring that state laws are enforced...
Gray Davis
Gray Davis
Joseph Graham "Gray" Davis, Jr. is an American Democratic politician who served as California's 37th Governor from 1999 until being recalled in 2003...
was recalled and actor Arnold Schwarzenegger
Arnold Schwarzenegger
Arnold Alois Schwarzenegger is an Austrian-American former professional bodybuilder, actor, businessman, investor, and politician. Schwarzenegger served as the 38th Governor of California from 2003 until 2011....
was elected. In 2004 he led the show's coverage of the presidential campaign
United States presidential election, 2004
The United States presidential election of 2004 was the United States' 55th quadrennial presidential election. It was held on Tuesday, November 2, 2004. Republican Party candidate and incumbent President George W. Bush defeated Democratic Party candidate John Kerry, the then-junior U.S. Senator...
, including leading the "ad watch team," which analyzed 150 campaign ads
Campaign advertising
'In politics, campaign advertising is the use of an advertising campaign through newspapers, radio commercials, television commercials, etc.) to influence the decisions made for and by groups. These ads are designed by political consultants and the political campaign staff...
. In all, he has filed more than 700 correspondent reports for the show.
Occasionally, Shuster filled in for Chris Matthews
Chris Matthews
Christopher John "Chris" Matthews is an American news anchor and political commentator, known for his nightly hour-long talk show, Hardball with Chris Matthews, which is televised on the American cable television channel MSNBC...
on Hardball.His daily reporting on the Valerie Plame affair drove the story into the mainstream press. During the trial relating to the Plame affair
Plame affair
The Plame Affair involved the identification of Valerie Plame Wilson as a covert Central Intelligence Agency officer. Mrs. Wilson's relationship with the CIA was formerly classified information...
, Shuster blog
Blog
A blog is a type of website or part of a website supposed to be updated with new content from time to time. Blogs are usually maintained by an individual with regular entries of commentary, descriptions of events, or other material such as graphics or video. Entries are commonly displayed in...
ged for Hardball on Hardblogger about the Lewis "Scooter" Libby trial
United States v. Libby
United States of America v. I. Lewis Libby, also known as "Scooter Libby" is the federal trial of I. Lewis "Scooter" Libby, a former high-ranking official in the George W. Bush administration....
and about other political matters. In addition to this, Shuster has also filled in for commentator Keith Olbermann
Keith Olbermann
Keith Theodore Olbermann is an American political commentator and writer. He has been the chief news officer of the Current TV network and the host of Current TV's weeknight political commentary program, Countdown with Keith Olbermann, since June 20, 2011...
on Countdown
Countdown with Keith Olbermann
Countdown with Keith Olbermann is an hour-long weeknight news and political commentary program that airs on Current TV, where it began airing on June 20, 2011. The program was broadcast on MSNBC from March 31, 2003, to January 21, 2011. On MSNBC, the show presented five selected news stories of...
.
In August 2005, Shuster reported from the eye of Hurricane Katrina
Hurricane Katrina
Hurricane Katrina of the 2005 Atlantic hurricane season was a powerful Atlantic hurricane. It is the costliest natural disaster, as well as one of the five deadliest hurricanes, in the history of the United States. Among recorded Atlantic hurricanes, it was the sixth strongest overall...
as it made landfall in Biloxi, Mississippi
Mississippi
Mississippi is a U.S. state located in the Southern United States. Jackson is the state capital and largest city. The name of the state derives from the Mississippi River, which flows along its western boundary, whose name comes from the Ojibwe word misi-ziibi...
; Shuster’s reports aired on MSNBC and NBC Nightly News
NBC Nightly News
NBC Nightly News is the flagship daily evening television news program for NBC News and broadcasts. NBC Nightly News has aired from Studio 3B, located on floors 3 of the NBC Studios is the headquarters of the GE Building forms the centerpiece of 30th Rockefeller Center it is located in the center...
. Shuster also spent several weeks reporting on the aftermath of Hurricane Katrina from New Orleans.
On September 24, 2007, Shuster interviewed Congresswoman Marsha Blackburn
Marsha Blackburn
Marsha Wedgeworth Blackburn is the U.S. Representative for , serving since 2003. She is a member of the Republican Party. The district stretches from the suburbs of Nashville to the suburbs of Memphis.-Early life, education and career:...
while filling in on Tucker Carlson's
Tucker Carlson
Tucker Swanson McNear Carlson is an American political news correspondent and conservative commentator for the Fox News Channel...
show. When Shuster asked about her response to the MoveOn.org ad campaign concerning General David Petraeus
David Petraeus
David Howell Petraeus is the current Director of the Central Intelligence Agency, sworn in on September 6, 2011. Prior to his assuming the directorship of the CIA, Petraeus was a four-star general serving over 37 years in the United States Army. His last assignments in the Army were as commander...
's Iraq war testimony, he followed up by then asking her the name of the last soldier from her congressional district who had been killed in Iraq
Iraq
Iraq ; officially the Republic of Iraq is a country in Western Asia spanning most of the northwestern end of the Zagros mountain range, the eastern part of the Syrian Desert and the northern part of the Arabian Desert....
; she was not able to name the soldier. Shuster mentioned that it was 18-year-old Jeremy Bohannon, and asked Blackburn why she was not able to recall the name. Blackburn's office soon claimed that Bohannon was not actually from Blackburn's congressional district, but was from the congressional district of Rep. John Tanner
John S. Tanner
John S. Tanner is the former U.S. Representative for , serving from 1989 until 2011. He is a member of the Democratic Party.-Early life, education and career:Tanner was born in Halls, Tennessee, and grew up in Union City, Tennessee...
. However, while Bohannon did grow up in Tanner's district, his legal residence for the year prior to his enlistment was in Blackburn's district.
After the promotion of David Gregory
David Gregory (journalist)
David Michael Gregory is an American television journalist, and moderator of NBC News' Sunday morning talk show Meet the Press.-Early life:...
to Meet the Press
Meet the Press
Meet the Press is a weekly American television news/interview program produced by NBC. It is the longest-running television series in American broadcasting history, despite bearing little resemblance to the original format of the program seen in its television debut on November 6, 1947. It has been...
, Shuster was named interim host of 1600 Pennsylvania Avenue before being announced as the permanent host.
Chelsea Clinton remark and suspension
On February 7, 2008, while guest hosting on TuckerTucker (television program)
Tucker is an American television program on MSNBC that focused on politics, hosted by Tucker Carlson. The show aired from June 6, 2005–March 14, 2008....
, Shuster discussed Chelsea Clinton
Chelsea Clinton
Chelsea Victoria Clinton is a television journalist, currently serving as Special Correspondent for NBC News, and philanthropist, working through the Clinton Global Initiative. She is the only child of former U.S...
's campaigning for her mother Hillary Clinton, her efforts to influence superdelegates, and her refusal to answer any questions by the media. When his guest, Bill Press
Bill Press
William "Bill" Press is a US talk radio host, political commentator and author.-Career:Press has a Bachelor of Arts in philosophy from Niagara University and Bachelor of Sacred Theology from the University of Fribourg. He started his broadcasting career in Los Angeles for TV stations KABC-TV and...
, pointed out that Bush's daughters campaigned for their father, Shuster noted the different access rules in each case and responded, "There's just something a little bit unseemly to me that Chelsea's out there calling up celebrities, saying support my mom … doesn't it seem like Chelsea's sort of being pimped out in some weird sort of way?"
The Clinton campaign demanded an apology and stated that Clinton might not participate in any further debates on MSNBC. Shuster was temporarily suspended from all NBC News
NBC News
NBC News is the news division of American television network NBC. It first started broadcasting in February 21, 1940. NBC Nightly News has aired from Studio 3B, located on floors 3 of the NBC Studios is the headquarters of the GE Building forms the centerpiece of 30th Rockefeller Center it is...
and MSNBC appearances for his comments. Before the suspension Shuster had engaged in a heated e-mail exchange with a Clinton staffer in which he defended his remarks.
Shuster's two-week suspension from on-air duties ended on February 22, 2008.
Indefinite suspension from MSNBC
On April 6, 2010, MSNBC announced that it had suspended David Shuster for an "indefinite period" after they learned from press reports that Shuster and Michel Martin of National Public Radio had shot a pilot episode for a new show on CNNCNN
Cable News Network is a U.S. cable news channel founded in 1980 by Ted Turner. Upon its launch, CNN was the first channel to provide 24-hour television news coverage, and the first all-news television channel in the United States...
, without the knowledge or permission of MSNBC.
Current TV
Starting July 29, 2011, David Shuster became a regular guest-host of Countdown with Keith OlbermannCountdown with Keith Olbermann
Countdown with Keith Olbermann is an hour-long weeknight news and political commentary program that airs on Current TV, where it began airing on June 20, 2011. The program was broadcast on MSNBC from March 31, 2003, to January 21, 2011. On MSNBC, the show presented five selected news stories of...
on Current TV
Current TV
Current TV, or Current, is a media company led by former U.S. Vice President Al Gore and businessman Joel Hyatt. Comcast owns a ten percent stake of Current's parent company, Current Media LLC....
.
Internet venture
Shuster announced in February 2011 that he is seeking to launch a website for investigative journalism.Awards
Shuster won an Emmy Award as well as a Bugle Award awarded in August 2006 by the Disabled American VeteransDisabled American Veterans
The Disabled American Veterans, or DAV, is an organization for disabled veterans that helps them and their families through various means. It currently has over 1.2 million members...
for his coverage of the 2005 National Disabled Veterans Sports Clinic and the hour-long special that accompanied it on MSNBC.