Dasha Burns dishes on why she left television news to go all in on digital

It is not every day that a television correspondent opts to ditch the tube for a role at a digital news outlet. But that's what Dasha Burns, who was a rising star at NBC News, announced she was doing earlier this month when she joined POLITICO as White House bureau chief.

With television news facing a precipitous decline, the reality is that Burns is only simply getting ahead of her peers with the move. A large segment of the TV news industry will eventually need to make a similar transition. Nevertheless, switching gears on the early side also takes some admirable temerity.

We caught up with Burns for a conversation on her jump to digital, the less-than-stellar state of the news industry, and how she's preparing for a second Donald Trump presidency.

Below is the Q&A, entirely unedited.

You were a rising star at NBC News. Why did you decide to transition from a role in television to one in print? Usually we see people aim to do the opposite.

Sometimes it's good to swim against the tide and create a new path! For me, it was less about leaving TV and more about trying something different in a moment that I feel really calls for it. I spent 8+ great years at NBC News honing my TV skills. Now I want to expand those skills to new platforms and try to show what the future for multimedia journalists can look like. The tides are changing — I want to be above the waterline.

Surely you also had print options outside POLITICO. What drew you to Rosslyn?

POLITICO is perhaps best positioned to take advantage of this distinct moment in the American story. When I think about adapting for the future as a reporter, this newsroom still has the kind of startup energy that's required to build and try new things. And it's filled with people who have the policy and politics expertise to tackle what will surely be an historically disruptive administration.

You have come up in an industry in a constant state of turmoil, with budget cuts and layoffs a regular feature, not an anomaly. With mainstream institutions in tremendous decline, do you worry about future generations having some of the opportunities that you were afforded at a place like NBC News? It takes a robust news operation to be able to, for instance, deploy reporters to the field to crisscross the country in an election year.

Oh yeah. I worry about future generations of journalists who may not have those opportunities. But I also worry about future generations of humans who may not have robust institutions providing this essential service. That's why I think we have to look for ways to adapt and build new models. Turmoil can also spur creativity. Maybe even force it.

Donald Trump is set to take office in a matter of weeks. How are you preparing for the chaos sure to ensue?

Sleeping. A lot.

Do you worry about what Trump may do to curtail the free press in his second term?

Trump's relationship with the press may be adversarial but it's also fundamental to his success (and he knows it). He's better at leveraging the media than any politician in recent history. So yes — I expect he will continue to test the bounds of the first amendment and challenge the role of the fourth estate. But this might also force us in the press to be even more purposeful and clear about the critical part we play in our democracy.

Most journalists are preparing for a rather dark four years ahead. Is there anything that gives you hope?

Whatever you think of Trump and his approach to governing — one thing we know is a whole lot of history will be made. Getting to cover such a consequential administration from a prominent perch is quite the privilege. I'm excited to take Americans inside the White House to witness all the machinations, intrigue, and power dynamics that go into the decisions that will shape our collective future. I've spent the last 5 years living out of a suitcase traveling the country and I'm eager to bring that outside-the-beltway perspective to Washington.