We start off this week’s ticker by congratulating Swati Sharma, editor-in-chief at Vox, who has taken on the expanded role as publisher. Exciting news as our editor and publisher Lou Carlozo flew to Las Vegas for the Money 20/20 convention, where he recorded 16 episodes on subjects running the gamut from AI in finance to cross-border payments. This week we also feature Aimee Bennett of Fagan Business Communications as our Qwoted 100 PR superstar.
Sharma becomes publisher at Vox… Swati Sharma, editor-in-chief at Vox, has taken on expanded duties as publisher. In her new role, Sharma will report to Vox Media president Pam Wasserstein. Prior to joining Vox, she was at The Atlantic, where she held the posts of deputy editor for The Atlantic.com, and then managing editor. She served as a foreign and national security digital editor, and then deputy general assignment editor at The Washington Post. Sharma worked as an online editor at Boston.com and interned at The Nation. Sharma has a bachelor’s degree in journalism and political science from Northeastern University. You can congratulate Sharma on X/Twitter.
Bankadelic hits the jackpot in Las Vegas… Lou Carlozo’s Bankadelic podcast went to the Money 20/20 convention in Las Vegas and recorded 16 episodes on-site. The episodes covered various topics, including AI in finance, venture capital and the smart use of data to the future of cryptocurrency. Just go to the Bankadelic page on SoundCloud, find an episode and start listening. All of the episodes have been listed here on Talking Biz News as well. The weekend is here, grab a snack and start binging on these episodes.
Our Qwoted 100 PR superstar… Denver-based Aimee Bennett of Fagan Business Communications is this week’s Qwoted 100 PR superstar. Bennett has been in the business for more than three decades. Boasting an MBA from the University of Minnesota, she possesses a wide spectrum of specialties. Here, she talks about the importance of adopting the mindset of a journalist by providing valuable context to reporters — and doing what she calls “the a-ha work.” You can read her full interview on Talking Biz News.
Nossiter moves to the Obituaries desk at the NY Times… Adam Nossiter has joined The New York Times Obituaries desk as a reporter. Recently, he was a senior staff editor on the Metro desk. Nossiter is a distinguished Times veteran, previously serving as New Orleans bureau chief, West Africa bureau chief, Paris correspondent, Paris bureau chief and Kabul bureau chief. He has also worked at the Times from 1995 to 1996. He also led the team that won the 2015 Pulitzer Prize for International Reporting for coverage of the Ebola epidemic in West Africa. He previously worked at The Anniston Star in Alabama, St. Petersburg Times in Florida, Atlanta Journal-Constitution and the Associated Press. Nossiter graduated from Harvard University. Be sure to connect with Nossiter on X/Twitter.
Cameron becomes national politics reporter at NY Times… Chris Cameron, a news assistant at The New York Times, has been upped to serve as national politics reporter covering breaking news. In four-plus years at the Times, Cameron has pitched on almost every beat, and for the National, International and Politics desks. He has also worked on weekends for Express. In August, 2022, he was awarded the Arthur F. Burns Fellowship to report in Berlin for Süddeutsche Zeitung, in its Parliament bureau. During this time, he also wrote for the Times. He was also awarded the Marie Colvin International Reporting Fellow at The Wall Street Journal. He has also worked as a general assignment reporter and freelance writer for Newsday Media Group. Cameron has a B.A. in journalism from Stony Brook University in New York, where he was a multimedia editor for the student newspaper The Statesman. Be sure to congratulate Cameron on X/Twitter.
Raw Story’s new assistant ME… Political news site Raw Story has hired Kathleen Culliton as assistant managing editor and news writer. Culliton joins from Patch.com, where she managed and edited a team of reporters covering local news in New York City. Before that, she served as New York City reporter and deputy managing editor. She has reported for DNAinfo and the New York Daily News, New York Post, and held the posts of features writer and weekend news editor at Bustle. She has also worked at Al Jazeera, WNYC, NY1 and City Limits. Culliton has a bachelor’s degree from Kenyon College in Ohio and a master’s degree in journalism from CUNY Graduate School of Journalism. Be sure to congratulate Culliton on X/Twitter.
Newsweek hires for the political and national beat… Newsweek has hired Kate Plummer as US politics and national affairs reporter. Recently, she was as an Indy100 writer focused on politics, current affairs and social justice at The Independent. Plummer freelanced for The Times, The Daily Mail, The Fourth Estate, Metro, Huffington Post, and Vice. She was a digital writer at Hearst UK, and interned at The Times and The Telegraph. Plummer has a B.A. in history from the University of Oxford and a M.A. in magazine journalism from City, University of London. Be sure to congratulate Plummer on X/Twitter.
Milwaukee TV station names Finke investigative reporter… Erica Finke has joined ABC station WISN-TV Ch. 12 in Milwaukee as an investigative reporter. Recently, Finke was at WSBT-TV Ch. 22, a CBS and Fox affiliate in South Bend, Ind., where she held the posts of multimedia journalist and weekend anchor and reporter. She interned at Fox outlet WTTE-TV Ch. 28 in Columbus, Ohio, and at WAND-TV Ch. 17, an NBC station in Decatur, Ill. Finke has a bachelor’s degree in broadcast journalism from the University of Illinois Urbana-Champaign. You can congratulate Finke on X/Twitter.
Washington TV station hires Graddick as mornings co-anchor… Washington’s Fox TV station WTTG-TV Ch. 5 has appointed Stephen Graddick as mornings co-anchor. Recently, he worked as a news anchor and national correspondent at Scripps News. Previously, Graddick was a media production coordinator at the Food Network in New York, and worked as an associate producer and talent coordinator at HBO. He has also worked as a correspondent and producer at the Discovery Channel. Graddick graduated from the Johnson C. Smith University in Charlotte, N.C. Be sure to congratulate Graddick on X/Twitter.
Politico sets foot in Berlin… Politico plans to launch its Playbook in Berlin next year in German. Gordon Repinski will lead the Berlin Playbook as executive editor and Cecil von Busse will serve as general manager of Politico in Germany. “As the largest economy in Europe and a political heavyweight in the EU, Germany is a natural fit for POLITICO and Berlin Playbook is the perfect way to introduce German readers to POLITICO’s unique and indispensable value,” said Goli Sheikholeslami, CEO of Politico Media Group. Repinski joins from The Pioneer, where he served as deputy editor-in-chief. In his new role, Busse will oversee the initial growth phase and all subsequent steps in building out Politico in Germany.
Crypto.news promotes Ross-Mychka… Catherine Ross-Mychka, editor-in-chief of cryptocurrency news site Crypto.news, has been named editorial director and chief strategy officer. Ross-Mychka is founder and executive editor of Business Mania, a publication about business, entrepreneurs and the rules of making money. She was a managing editor on the night news desk, business editor, video host and crypto managing editor at financial media outlet Benzinga. Ross-Mychka has a B.A. from Minsk State Linguistic University in Belarus and a postgraduate degree from the The London School of Economics and Political Science. You can congratulate Ross-Mychka via Twitter.
Tom’s Guide makes a hire for AI coverage… Tom’s Guide has hired Ryan Morrison as an AI editor in London. Recently, he was a technology reporter at Tech Monitor, where he covered AI and quantum computing. Before that, Morrison was a senior science and technology reporter at MailOnline, and freelanced as a science and technology reporter for various outlets. He also worked at BBC News for more than 16 years as a technology reporter and journalist. Morrison has a bachelor’s degree from The Open University in Buckinghamshire, England. Be sure to congratulate Morrison on X/Twitter.
Inverse.com appoints Liao deputy gaming editor… Shannon Liao has joined Inverse.com as deputy gaming editor. Recently, she was a staff writer at The Washington Post, where she covered the business, tech and culture of video games. Liao freelanced for The New York Times, The Verge and Vice. She also recorded podcasts for the Scientific American. She wrote for CNN Business and was a tech reporter at The Verge Liao graduated from Vassar College in New York. You can congratulate Liao on X/Twitter.
Mureithi to cover climate for AP… Carlos Mureithi has joined The Associated Press as an Africa climate correspondent, based in Nairobi. Recently, Mureithi served as Africa correspondent at The Christian Science Monitor, where he covered refugees fleeing South Sudan. Previously, he was an East Africa editor at the Organized Crime and Corruption Reporting Project and worked as East Africa correspondent at Quartz. He has contributed to The New York Times and worked at Nation Media Group in Kenya for more than eight years. He interned at Reuters. Mureithi has a bachelor’s degree in journalism from the United States International University – Africa and a master’s degree in journalism from the University of California, Berkeley. Be sure to congratulate Mureithi on X/Twitter.
WaPo’s Olen departs… Helaine Olen, a columnist at The Washington Post, has left. “Personal news: There’s no great way to announce this. I’m out at the Washington Post,” she wrote on X/Twitter. “I was supposed to be there 6 months, instead I stayed 6 yrs. As my goodbye, I’m sharing links to my personal favorites of my own columns. Enjoy!” Olen has also worked as a financial policy consultant. She freelanced for The New York Times, Reuters, Rolling Stone, AARP The Magazine, The Atlantic, American Public Media’s Marketplace, Conde Nast’s Portfolio, The Big Money and Fortune Small Business. She worked as a columnist, staff writer and contributor at Slate Magazine and also contributed to the Los Angeles Times. She is the author of “Pound Foolish: Exposing the Dark Side of the Personal Finance Industry” (2013) and co-author of “The Index Card: Why Personal Finance Doesn’t Have to be Complicated” (2016). Reach out to Olen via X/Twitter or LinkedIn.
LAist hires Moreno as digital equity reporter… Nereida Moreno has joined LAist as a digital equity reporter, which is a new beat for the station. Recently, Moreno was at Chicago Public Media, where she was an education reporter and also worked as a producer. In this role, she helped launch WBEZ’s daily talk show “Reset” on 91.5 FM. She covered immigration, Latino communities and breaking news for the Chicago Tribune, and reported on breaking news, crime and public safety issues for Southern California News Group. She contributed to USA Today. Moreno has a B.A. from California State University-Fullerton, where she was editor-in-chief of the student newspaper The Daily Titan. Be sure to congratulate Moreno 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.
