Chuck Todd announces departure from NBC News after nearly 20 years

NBC News has lost one of the staples of its network.

Chuck Todd has announced that he will retire after nearly 20 years of working for the news network.

Todd released a memo to his coworkers at NBC News confirming his decision.

“There’s never a perfect time to leave a place that’s been a professional home for so long, but I’m pretty excited about a few new projects that are on the cusp of going from ‘pie in the sky’ to ‘near reality,’” Todd began in the memo.

“So I’m grateful for the chance to get a jump start on my next chapter during this important moment. The ChuckToddcast is also coming with me (thank you NBC). Stay tuned for an announcement about its new home soon," Todd said.

"Needless to say, I do plan to continue to share my reporting and unique perspective of covering politics with data and history as important baselines in understanding where we were, where we are and where we’re going,” Todd continued.

Todd also went on to discuss what he believes needs to happen for news outlets to win back the trust of the American public.

“The media has a lot of work to do to win back the trust of viewers/listeners/readers and I’m convinced the best place to start is from the bottom up. At my core, I’m an entrepreneur -- I spent my first 15 years professionally working for the company that started the political newsletter craze that dominates today. And this is a ripe moment,” Todd explained.

“The only way to fix this information eco system is to stop whining about the various ways the social media companies are manipulating things and instead roll up our collective sleeves and start with local. National media can’t win trust back without having a robust partner locally and trying to game algorithms is no way to inform and report,” Todd went on.

NBC News has released a statement thanking Todd for his many years of service and wishing Todd the best in his future endeavors.

“We’re grateful for Chuck’s many contributions to our political coverage during his nearly two-decade career at NBC News and for his deep commitment to Meet the Press and its enduring legacy,” the statement read.

While Todd’s time with NBC News may be over, it sounds like he's not leaving the world of journalism anytime soon.

What do you think about Chuck Todd leaving NBC News?