John Dickerson named ‘Face the Nation’ host

John Dickerson named ‘Face the Nation’ host

The journalist is known in Washington for his ability to knock politicians off script.

John Dickerson will be the new host of CBS’ Face the Nation, one of the longest-running shows on television in the United States. Bob Schieffer, who will retire from the post this summer, announced his replacement on Sunday morning’s show.

The 46 year old Dickerson is currently the political director for CBS News but also works as chief political correspondent for Slate magazine. He has been with CBS News the last six years and moved into the political director position in 2011.

Bob Schieffer has hosted Face the Nation the last 24 years. Wednesday night he announced his upcoming retirement in an emotional presentation at his alma mater, Texas Christian University. The communication college at that university bears his name.

Dickerson has already appeared on Face the Nation 83 times. His mother, Nancy Dickerson, was the first CBS News female correspondent in its Washington, D.C. bureau as well as an associate producer on the first airing of Face the Nation in 1954. Schieffer announced John Dickerson as his replacement on a relatively smooth broadcast on Sunday.

One of the show’s competitor’s, Meet the Press on NBC, also saw its own transition recently, but things were not as easy going. After several weeks of speculation, Chuck Todd ultimately replaced David Gregory as host.

The president of CBS News, David Rhodes, stated his pride that his organization hung together and that Dickerson’s appointment happened “without a whole lot of public Sturm und Drang.”

Dickerson grew up in a 36-room Georgian-style mansion over Virginia’s Potomac River. The home was purchased by his parents from the stepfather of Jacqueline Kennedy. A book of his authorship, about his relationship with his journalist mother, was published in 2006.

It was Dickerson – along with NBC’s David Gregory – who first revealed that Valerie Plame was an operative for the Central Intelligence Agency. As a White House correspondent, the journalist became known amongst his peers about being so adept at knocking President George W. Bush off script that the term “Dickersonian” came into use.

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