‘Washington Week’ Gets New Moderator, New Name

Jeffrey Goldberg, moderator on Washington Week
Jeffrey Goldberg, moderator of ‘Washington Week’ (Image credit: Washington Week)

Jeffrey Goldberg, editor in chief of The Atlantic, has been named moderator of Washington Week on PBS. The Atlantic joins NewsHour and WETA Washington as an editorial partner on the program, which will be renamed Washington Week with The Atlantic

Goldberg starts on the show Friday, August 11. He has been the editor of The Atlantic, which covers news, culture, politics and other topics, since 2016. He will be the tenth moderator of the program in its 56 years. 

Yamiche Alcindor had the role from mid-2021 until earlier this year. 

“We are thrilled to embark on this next chapter for Washington Week with the addition of Jeffrey Goldberg as moderator and The Atlantic as an editorial partner,” said Sharon Percy Rockefeller, president and CEO of WETA and president of NewsHour Productions. “As the longest-running news and public affairs program on primetime television, Washington Week is known for its incisive and thoughtful roundtable conversations featuring the sharpest minds in news — a reputation that will only be enhanced with Jeffrey and The Atlantic joining as partners.”

Washington Week airs Fridays and features a roundtable of journalists providing analysis of the week’s major news stories. It is executive produced by Stephanie Kotuby. 

Robert Costa, CBS News chief election and campaign correspondent, was Washington Week moderator from 2017 to 2021. Gwen Ifill moderated from 1999 until her death in late 2016. Previous moderators include inaugural one John Davenport, Lincoln Furber and Max Kampelman. 

“With this partnership, Washington Week will remain the premier destination for viewers in search of astute analysis of the most important political and policy issues facing our nation,” Paula Kerger, PBS president and CEO, said. “We are especially pleased to welcome Jeffery Goldberg as moderator, bringing a wealth of experience and credibility to this important role. At a time when our nation is in desperate need of thoughtful, respectful discussions that bridge political divides, we are very proud to continue to build on the legacy of Washington Week.”

Goldberg joined The Atlantic in 2007 as a national correspondent. He’s a regular guest on NBC, CBS, MSNBC, CNN and NPR. 

Washington Week holds a special and rare place on television, to have a space for civil and extended conversation about the issues affecting the news and our world,” Goldberg said. “Gwen built this show into an institution, continued by Robert and by Yamiche, and I’m honored to carry on this tradition as The Atlantic embarks on this partnership.”

Michael Malone

Michael Malone, senior content producer at B+C/Multichannel News, covers network programming, including entertainment, news and sports on broadcast, cable and streaming; and local broadcast television. He hosts the podcasts Busted Pilot, about what’s new in television, and Series Business, a chat with the creator of a new program, and writes the column “The Watchman.” He joined B+C in 2005. His journalism has also appeared in The New York Times, The Philadelphia Inquirer, Playboy and New York magazine.