Craig Melvin fights back tears as he signs off in final MSNBC broadcast
“So many of the stories I’ve covered here, and the people I’ve met on assignments, have moved me in a myriad of ways," said the veteran reporter.
Veteran reporter and longtime MSNBC anchor Craig Melvin is leaving the cable channel. He made the tearful announcement Thursday during the last live broadcast on his late-morning show.
“This nearly decade-long stretch of hosting a cable news program has been a tremendous honor, and I’m so very thankful for the opportunity to really have had a front-row seat to so much history. Tumultuous campaigns, elections, natural disasters, far too many mass shootings and of course a global pandemic,” Melvin, 42, said on Craig Melvin Reports, Mediaite reports.
“So many of the stories I’ve covered here, and the people I’ve met on assignments, have moved me in myriad of ways. Some days sad, angry, confused, but always hopeful,” he continued, per The Hill.
“I’ve tried to cover the news fairly and steer clear of inserting my opinion or perspective. We’ve tried to traffic in facts and truth and let you make up your mind every day, and I’m very proud of that. We’ve gone out of our way to highlight, not merely the death, doom, or destruction. We tried to introduce you to ordinary people doing the extraordinary,” Melvin said.
The New York-based broadcaster, who hails from Columbia, South Carolina, attended Wofford College in the state. In October 2018, he started hosting Today’s 3rd Hour. Melvin’s contract with the company is reportedly up at the end of the year.
Last year, he unpacked fatherhood and his relationship with his father in his book: Pops: Learning to be a Son and a Father.
“My dad was such an enigma to me for most of my life and I couldn’t figure him out. I didn’t really know where I stood with him for a good portion of my life,” he previously told Yahoo. “I became a naturally inquisitive person. I became very curious about my dad and our family. I think that it helped develop an empathy that a good journalist has. I try desperately not to judge.”
The anchor became more emotional on his daytime cable show on Thursday as he thanked his family, and his MSNBC producers and colleagues.
“And thank you for letting me into your homes, your businesses, and your vehicles for an hour every day,” Melvin said while concluding his broadcast. “I appreciate you seeing the value in journalism, showcasing the plight of the least among us, simply asking questions and waiting for answers. We need it now perhaps more than we ever have. Thank you.”
Melvin will now refocus his efforts on Today and Dateline NBC. The network will use a rotating lineup of anchors going forward.
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