I’ll be honest. I had not heard of David Remnick until today. Maybe you have and you know of his work. I do not. And because of this, I cannot make any snarky comments or share an opinion on the hiring.
On the surface, this seems like a good move. Remnick is the editor of New Yorker magazine and has won a Pulitzer for his book on the old Soviet Union. He has lived in Moscow having been the Washington Post’s Bureau Chief there and has an extensive background in both news and sports.
Remnick will contribute to NBC’s coverage of the 2014 Winter Olympics Opening Ceremony in Sochi as well as providing commentary to NBC News throughout the 17 days of competition.
Other than that, there’s not much I can add except to post the press release.
PULITZER PRIZE-WINNER DAVID REMNICK TO JOIN NBCUNIVERSAL’S OLYMPICS COVERAGE IN SOCHI
Editor of The New Yorker to Contribute to NBC’s Opening Ceremony Coverage & Offer Commentary for NBC News
Stamford, Conn. – December 9, 2013 – Pulitzer Prize-winner David Remnick, editor of The New Yorker magazine, will join NBCUniversal’s coverage of the 2014 Olympic Winter Games in Sochi, it was announced today.
Remnick, the former Moscow Bureau Chief for The Washington Post, will contribute to NBC’s coverage of the Opening Ceremony and will offer commentary for NBC News in Sochi.
“David is a distinguished journalist who knows Russia very well and we’re excited to have his expertise on the host country for our Sochi coverage,” said Jim Bell, Executive Producer, NBC Olympics.
Remnick joined The New Yorker as a staff writer in 1992 and was named editor in 1998. Under his leadership, The New Yorker has won 33 National Magazine Awards.
In 1994, Remnick earned a Pulitzer Prize in nonfiction and the George Polk Award for excellence in journalism for his book Lenin’s Tomb: The Last Days of the Soviet Empire.
Remnick began his reporting career at The Washington Post in 1982 where he first covered the United States Football League, before becoming the Post’s Moscow Bureau Chief in 1988. He has received numerous honors including his selection as Advertising Age’s 2000 Editor of the Year, and a 1997 National Magazine Award nomination for his New Yorker article “Kid Dynamite Blows Up” about boxer Mike Tyson.
A graduate of Princeton, Remnick has authored several books, including The Devil Problem: And Other True Stories, Resurrection: The Struggle for a New Russia, King of the World: Muhammad Ali and the Rise of an American Hero, Reporting: Writings from The New Yorker and The Bridge: The Life and Rise of Barack Obama.
That’s all.
