This week’s ticker starts off with good news at a revived publication, as Jezebel has appointed Lauren Tousignant as its new editor-in-chief. Congratulations are also due to Tannette Elie, the new managing editor of the Milwaukee Neighborhood News Service. There’s more below, including the Sarasota Herald-Tribune’s appointment of Mark J. Rochester as its next executive editor.
Jezebel revives with new EIC… Paste Magazine founder and CEO Josh Jackson has relaunched Jezebel by naming Lauren Tousignant as its new editor-in-chief. “This is a brand that helped me forge my own identity as both a journalist and a feminist, and I’m honored to have the chance to lead Jezebel into its next era — an era that includes the 2024 election and a political landscape where reproductive rights continue to be mocked, threatened and banned,” Tousignant said. “I’m committed to building upon Jezebel’s legacy and delivering more of everything that’s made it such a crucial voice over the last 16 years.” Previously, she had served as interim editor-in-chief. She freelanced and worked at the New York Post for more than eight years. She was a stylist and then served as a style editor at Jerk Magazine. She interned at Harper’s Bazaar and Elle Magazine. She was a stylist and then served as a style editor at Jerk Magazine. She interned at Harper’s Bazaar and Elle Magazine. Be sure to congratulate Tousignant on X/Twitter.
Milwaukee NNS appoints Elie ME… Milwaukee Neighborhood News Service has hired Tannette Elie as its managing editor. In her new role, Elie supervises, coaches, and develops story ideas with reporters, student interns and community volunteers. “I believe the best way for journalists to serve communities of color is to elevate the residents of those communities through powerful storytelling,” she said. “I am excited to continue to fulfill that mission at NNS.” Previously, she worked at the Milwaukee Journal Sentinel for 20 years, holding the posts of general assignment reporter, federal beat reporter, business reporter and business columnist. She also worked at Marquette University for five years and the University of Wisconsin-Parkside for more than 15 years. Elie has a B.A. in journalism from Bradley University in Illinois and an M.S. in communication from Purdue University. Be sure to congratulate Elie on X/Twitter.
Sarasota Herald-Tribune welcomes Rochester as exec ed… The Gannett-owned Sarasota Herald-Tribune has appointed Mark J. Rochester as its next executive editor. He will begin on Jan. 2. “Thousands of people count on us to learn about the world, help them make better decisions, get involved in their community, and enjoy the rich culture and resources Southwest Florida offers,” Rochester said. “This is an amazing opportunity we have here at the Herald-Tribune to positively impact the region by doing high-impact journalism and storytelling for our community.” Since March 2021, he has been managing editor of the nonprofit newsroom inewsource in San Diego. He also served as VP of the board of Investigative Reporters and Editors, and as editor-in-chief of Type Investigations, the investigative reporting division of Type Media Center. He also served as senior news director of investigations at The Detroit Free Press. He held the post of deputy managing editor at The Pittsburgh Post-Gazette and assistant chief of bureau at The Associated Press. He has also worked at The Denver Post, Newsday and the Indianapolis Star. Be sure to congratulate Rochester via X/Twitter.
Stanley becomes exec ed at Marie Claire… Marie Claire has welcomed Andrea Stanley to serve as executive editor. Since June 2021, she has freelanced for The Washington Post Magazine, The Atlantic and Harper’s Bazaar. Before that, Stanley held the posts of features editor and features director at Cosmopolitan Magazine. She also worked as a senior editor at Seventeen Magazine and interned at Self and Elle magazines. An award-winning writer and editor, Stanley graduated from Valencia College in Orlando. Be sure to congratulate Stanley on X/Twitter.
Hyman to cover shopping for Cosmopolitan… Jasmine Hyman has joined Cosmopolitan as an assistant shopping editor. Recently, she was a commerce producer at Dotdash Meredith. There, Hyman wrote and pitched articles for publications, including People, InStyle, Byrdie and Brides. She interned at CNN, where she pitched, drafted and edited daily content for the network’s flagship and climate Instagram accounts. Hyman has a bachelor’s degree from Syracuse University and a master’s degree from Columbia University Graduate School of Journalism. Be sure to congratulate Hyman on X/Twitter.
St. Louis NBC station hires Kernan as reporter… St. Louis NBC station KSDK-TV Ch. 5 in St. Louis, Mo. has tapped Megan Kernan to serve as a reporter. Recently, Kernan was a multimedia journalist and reporter at WKRN-TV Ch. 2, an ABC affiliate in Nashville, a post she also held at ABC station WBAY-TV Ch. 2 in Green Bay, Wis. She interned at NBC outlet WSMV-TV Ch. 4 in Nashville, and at WBKO-TV Ch. 13, an ABC, Fox and CW Plus affiliate in Bowling Green, Ky. Kernan has a B.A. in broadcast journalism from Western Kentucky University. You can congratulate Kernan on X/Twitter.
D.C. ABC station names Rogers anchor… John Rogers will join ABC station WJLA-TV Ch. 7 in Washington, D.C. Currently, he is a morning news anchor at WRIC-TV Ch. 8, an ABC affiliate in Petersburg, Va. Previously, he held the posts of Sarasota bureau chief and weekend morning anchor at NBC station WFLA-TV Ch. 8 in Tampa and WTTA-TV Ch. 38, Tampa’s CW Television Network outlet. He has also held reporter, producer and anchor roles at TV stations in Alabama and Tallahassee. Rogers graduated from Florida State University. You can congratulate Rogers via X/Twitter.
Raleigh CBS appoints Funderburg weekend evening anchor/reporter… CBS station WNCN-TV Ch. 17 in Raleigh, N.C., has hired Greg Funderburg as a weekend evening anchor and reporter. Since March 2023, Funderburg has been director of marketing and business development at the nonprofit Urban League of Greater Chattanooga, Tenn. Previously, he served as a weekday morning and noon anchor at WTVC-TV Ch. 9, an ABC and Fox affiliate in Chattanooga, Tenn. He also worked as a reporter and anchor at Fox outlet WHNS-TV Ch. 21 in Greenville, S.C., and at WTVM-TV Ch. 9, an ABC affiliate in Columbus, Ga. He was also an assignment editor at Fox station WBRC-TV Ch. 6 in Birmingham, Ala. An award-winning journalist, Funderburg graduated from the University of Montevallo in Alabama. Be sure to congratulate Funderburg on X/Twitter.
Houston’s Fox station hires Dillard as AM anchor… KRIV-TV Ch. 26, Houston’s Fox TV station, has hired DaLaun Dillard as an AM anchor. Since May 2021, he has been an anchor and reporter at WEWS-TV Ch. 5, an ABC affiliate in Cleveland. Dillard held the same post at Hearst Television and Nexstar Media Group, where he also interned. Dillard has a B.A. from Central Michigan University. You can congratulate Dillard via X/Twitter.
Milwaukee Journal Sentinel taps Karnopp to cover politics… Hope Karnopp, a Pulitzer Center fellow at Milwaukee Journal Sentinel, has taken on the role of trending politics reporter. “I’ll be doing a bit of everything I enjoy: breaking news, fact-checking, creating multimedia, writing accessible explainers and diving deep into how politics impacts Wisconsinites,” she wrote on X/Twitter. Karnopp interned at NBC News, the Wisconsin Center for Investigative Journalism and the Milwaukee Journal Sentinel. She also held the posts of state news editor, podcast director and news manager at The Daily Cardinal, the student newspaper of the University of Wisconsin-Madison from where she has a B.A. in journalism. Be sure to congratulate Karnopp on X/Twitter.
Campbell joins Newsroom Operations at the NY Times… Victoria Campbell has joined The New York Times Newsroom Operation as an operations manager. In her new role, Campbell will support the Photo desk and will assist the other operations managers on the Visuals team. Since August 2023, she has been a temporary administrative assistant. Previously, she worked at the Times from November 2022 to January 2023 as an assistant video editor. She also held the posts of VP, reporter, anchor, president and executive producer at WRED-TV, St. John’s University’s student-run TV station. Campbell has a bachelor’s and master’s degree from St. John’s University.
Martínez takes on new role at the NY Times… The New York Times has appointed Andrés R. Martínez to deputy editor of a new breaking news hub in Seoul. “In this new dual role, he will report jointly to the editors of Live and Express and supervise our teams in Asia,” The Times reported. “Under Andrés’ direction, the Seoul hub will work collaboratively to shape priorities on major Live storylines while also responding to the voracious demand for the breaking, trending and sometimes offbeat stories that have become an Express signature.” Martínez joined the Times newsroom in 2021 as a senior editor/correspondent on the Live team. His most recent post was that of senior editor for Live in Asia. He was at Bloomberg for more than 12 years. Martínez has a B.A. in journalism from New York University. Be sure to congratulate Martínez on X/Twitter.
Allbritton Journalism Institute adds two to its staff… The Allbritton Journalism Institute has tapped Jasmine Wright and Haley Byrd Wilt to serve as reporters. Wright will join from CNN, where for more than five years she held posts including campaign embed for politics and White House reporter. At PBS NewsHour she held the posts of desk assistant, production assistant for politics and reporter/producer on the segment unit. She interned at ABC News, NBC News and Inked Magazine. Wright has a B.A. in broadcast journalism from the University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign. Be sure to congratulate Wright on X/Twitter. Recently, Wilt was an associate editor at The Dispatch covering Congress and the twice-weekly newsletter Uphill. She has also reported for CNN and The Weekly Standard, where she covered Congress. Wilt interned and was a congressional reporter at the Independent Journal Review. Be sure to congratulate Wilt on X/Twitter.
Illinois Answers Project appoints Bailey EIC… Better Government Association has named Ruby L. Bailey editor-in-chief of its Illinois Answers Project. She will begin on Jan. 2. “My life’s work and mission is empowering communities through journalism,” Bailey said. “I can think of no better place than the Illinois Answers Project to lead a group of journalists committed to that important work for the people of Chicago and Illinois.” She will join from USA Today, where she held the post of consumer editor. She has also worked as an opinion and public engagement editor at The Indianapolis Star. She also worked as a continuous news editor at The Sacramento Bee, and held the post of assistant metro editor for breaking news at the Detroit Free Press. She also reported for The Detroit News and serves on the boards of the Midwest Center for Investigative Reporting and the Missouri Press Foundation. Bailey has a master’s degree from Biola University in California. Be sure to congratulate Bailey on X/Twitter.
Review-Journal welcomes back Saunders as Washington columnist… Debra Saunders, a fellow at the Discovery Institute’s Chapman Center for Citizen Leadership, has been tapped to serve as a Washington columnist at the Las Vegas Review-Journal. Previously, Saunders was a White House correspondent at the Review-Journal as well as a columnist and editorial writer for the Los Angeles Daily News. She has also worked at the San Francisco Chronicle and previously wrote for the Wall Street Journal. Saunders graduated from the University of Massachusetts. Be sure to congratulate Saunders on X/Twitter.
Inside Housing’s new chief reporter… James Riding, a senior reporter at Inside Housing, has been upped to chief reporter. Since October 2021, he has been a freelance contributor to The Times. Previously, Riding held the posts of editorial assistant and policy reporter at React News. He also interned at Prospect Magazine and News UK. Riding has a B.A. in English language and literature from the University of Oxford and an M.A. in newspaper journalism from City, University of London. Be sure to congratulate Riding on X/Twitter.
Meltzer becomes national ed at Chalkbeat… Erica Meltzer, Colorado bureau chief at Chalkbeat, has taken on the role of national editor. “It’s been an honor and a privilege to serve you through teachers strikes, school closures, and so many school finance committees,” she wrote on X/Twitter. Meltzer has been with Chalkbeat for the past six years. In April 2016, she helped launch Denverite, a member-supported news organization acting as a source for local news and public policy coverage. She covered city government, social issues and politics for The Daily Camera in Boulder. She was also a government reporter at the Arizona Daily Star. She also reported on local government, education and economic development for the Daily Herald in Chicago. Meltzer has a bachelor’s degree in journalism and Spanish from Northwestern University. Be sure to congratulate Meltzer on X/Twitter.
Mariam Ahmed is Talking Biz News’ content correspondent. For tips on the Friday TBN Ticker, email her at mariam@talkingbiznews.com or connect with her on LinkedIn.
