PBS said his final weekly segment alongside David Brooks will air this Friday, along with a tribute to Shields. That’s some of what “NewsHour” viewers appreciate about the program – and why Shields’ departure will be noticed. The format rewards insights and deep breaths, not insults and other indignities. The Friday evening “Shields & Brooks” discussion segment, like the “NewsHour” in its entirety, is a product of a more genial period in American politics. He said the program “has been, in addition to great fun, the most rewarding professional experience of my, admittedly checkered, career.” Shields, 83, expressed gratitude and self-effacing humor in a statement on Monday.

His semi-retirement – he will still appear on the program occasionally – comes during a period of transition in Washington and on television. Mark Shields, a regular analyst on the PBS “NewsHour” program for the past 33 years, is stepping down from his weekly television perch this Friday.

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