Paula Reid to become MS NOW’s chief White House reporter

MS NOW has hired longtime CNN correspondent Paula Reid as its chief White House reporter, adding an experienced legal and political journalist to its Washington, D.C., bureau as the network continues building its independent news operation.

Reid, who has covered the Justice Department, Supreme Court and major legal developments for CNN, will report on the Trump administration while contributing to the network’s investigative and enterprise journalism.

She left CNN in late June 2026 after opting not to renew her deal there. In the weeks that followed, reports of a potential MS NOW gig circulated. 

The hiring was announced in an internal memo Oct. 29, 2026, from MS NOW Washington bureau chief Sudeep Reddy, who outlined Reid’s responsibilities and her role in expanding the network’s political coverage.

Reid has been among CNN’s more prominent Washington correspondents, covering high-profile legal cases and federal investigations. She has also frequently served as a substitute anchor across the network’s programming.

Before joining CNN, Reid worked at CBS News, where she covered the Justice Department and later served as a White House correspondent.

At MS NOW, Reid joins a White House reporting team that includes director Scott Foster, senior White House reporter Vaughn Hillyard and reporters Laura Barrón-López, Akayla Gardner and Jake Traylor.

“Paula joins our intrepid team of White House reporters and producers who have been covering the Trump administration day in and day out since we first established a Washington Bureau,” Reddy wrote in the staff memo.

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The addition comes as MS NOW continues expanding its Washington newsroom following its separation from NBC News in 2025 and also means the team now has someone in the “chief” correspondent role. 

Reddy and the network’s leadership have been assembling a standalone newsgathering operation, hiring journalists and establishing reporting resources independent of NBC News.

Reid’s appointment also comes amid an ongoing dispute between the Trump administration and several news organizations over access to the White House.

MS NOW, CNN and Politico were previously barred from White House grounds before a federal judge ordered the administration to restore their press credentials.

The dispute has raised questions about restrictions on journalists’ access to the administration and the ability of news organizations to cover White House activities.

Reddy addressed those challenges in announcing Reid’s arrival, praising the existing White House team for maintaining its reporting despite the access restrictions.

“They have continued that work without missing a beat, even while navigating attempts to limit their ability to report from the White House,” he wrote.

“Together, Paula and the team will work to deepen our coverage of the White House and Washington and deliver the kind of authoritative, news-breaking journalism that audiences increasingly turn to MS NOW for.”