NBC News' Mark Whitaker named CNN managing editor

[January 29, 2011]  NEW YORK (AP) -- NBC News' Washington bureau chief Mark Whitaker is leaving the network for a key management role at CNN.

CNN said Friday that Whitaker will become its executive vice president and managing editor, responsible for editorial coverage at CNN, HLN, the CNN website and international network and other news properties. It's a newly created position.

Whitaker has had an occasional on-air role at NBC as the successor to the late Tim Russert, most recently during State of the Union coverage. Before taking the NBC job, he was editor of Newsweek from 1998 to 2006.

CNN says Whitaker will report Jim Walton, president of CNN worldwide. Whitaker will work alongside Ken Jautz, the new chief executive at CNN's U.S. network, and HLN top executive Scot Safon, and concentrate strictly on news and editorial content.

[Associated Press]

Copyright 2011 The Associated Press. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten or redistributed.