Norah O'Donnell Taps News Positions at MSNBC and Today

MSNBC today named Norah O'Donnell its chief Washington correspondent.  In addition, O'Donnell was named a contributing correspondent for NBC's Today show.

O'Donnell has served as White House correspondent for NBC News since September 2003, where she reported for NBC broadcasts, including the Today and NBC Nightly News With Brian Williams. She also reported for MSNBC and CNBC.

As an NBC White House correspondent, O'Donnell covered President Bush during the 2004 presidential campaign. Prior to that, O'Donnell was NBC News' congressional correspondent.

"Norah is a talented correspondent who brings great institutional knowledge and experience to the Washington beat," NBC News President Neal Shapiro said in a statement.

Added MSNBC President Rick Kaplan:  "We look forward to her senior role in the network's Washington coverage as our lead correspondent on major stories."

Since joining NBC News in 1999, O'Donnell has covered the White House, Congress, and the Pentagon. She covered breaking news stories for both NBC and MSNBC, including the September 11, 2001 terrorist attacks.

Prior to joining NBC News, O'Donnell was a print reporter, covering Congress and House and Senate campaigns as a staff writer for Roll Call, the Capitol Hill newspaper. From 1997-1999, she was also a contributor and news analyst for MSNBC.