In this week’s ticker, TBN covers some major journo world shuffling – starting with The Guardian’s new investigative unit, which aims to “investigate corporate and government misconduct, attacks on human rights, and other urgent challenges facing the United States.” There’s lots going on at The Washington Post, including the appointment of Scott Vance as managing editor. Meanwhile, Politico has appointed Paul Dallison to the post of deputy EU editor.
Guardian invests in investigations, adds three to team… The Guardian US has debuted its first investigations team to be led by Michael Hudson, who has been named US head of investigations. Recently, he was an editor at the International Consortium of Investigative Journalists. There, he also worked as a reporter, writer and editor on the Pulitzer Prize-winning Panama Papers investigation. He was a global investigations editor at The Associated Press. He also worked at the Center for Public Integrity, the Wall Street Journal and the Roanoke (Va.) Times. “I’m thrilled to help launch the Guardian US’s first investigations team, and to have a chance to work with Stephanie, Will, Oliver and the rest of the Guardian’s world-class US newsroom,” Hudson said. Stephanie Kirchgaessner, US investigations correspondent at The Guardian, has been named deputy head of investigations. And Will Craft was recently an investigative data reporter at APM Reports, an investigative arm of American Public Media. There, he reported data for numerous award-winning investigations, including many cited by briefs to the US Supreme Court.
Vance becomes ME at WaPo… The Washington Post has promoted Scott Vance to managing editor to oversee the International, Business, and Sports departments. “It’s a great honor for me to be part of the leadership team at The Post,” Vance said. “I’m also thrilled I’ll be able to work more closely with the fantastic journalists in these three departments. They are a huge part of what makes this newsroom great.” Since joining the Post in 1995, Vance has served as Virginia editor, assistant Virginia editor, national security editor, national editor, assistant managing editor for news, news editor, and recently as deputy managing editor. Previously, he covered education, city hall and politics at The Detroit News for 11 years. Before that, he covered politics and economics of college sports at The Chronicle of Higher Education. Vance has a B.A. from Kalamazoo College in Michigan. Be sure to congratulate Vance on X/Twitter.
Politico appoints Dallison deputy EU editor… Politico has tapped Paul Dallison to serve as deputy EU editor. “Really looking forward to working with our ace Brussels team,” he wrote on X/Twitter. Dallison has been with Politico Europe for more than eight years, joining in March 2015 as an assistant production editor. He then took on the assistant news editor post and was recently slot news editor. Before that, he served as a sub-editor at the Brussels-based weekly European Voice, which was acquired in a joint venture between Politico and Axel Springer. Dallison graduated from the University of Sunderland in the U.K. You can connect with Dallison via X/Twitter.
El-Bashir exits The Athletic… Tarik El-Bashir, a senior writer at The Athletic, has left and joined Monumental Sports Network as the NHL Washington Capitals Insider. El-Bashir has spent the past 20 years covering sports. He covered the New York Islanders, NASCAR, IndyCar and colleges for The New York Times, and covered the Washington Capitals, Georgetown Hoyas, NASCAR and IndyCar for The Washington Post. He also worked at NBC Sports Washington. El-Bashir graduated from Howard University. Be sure to congratulate El-Bashir on X/Twitter.
Bondy strolls crosstown from NY from Daily to NY Post… Stefan Bondy has joined The New York Post as a sports writer covering the Knicks. Recently, he held the same post at The New York Daily News, where he worked for 13 years. During this time, Bondy covered the Knicks and Nets, and contributed to the Sunday section with features and trend pieces. He also wrote columns on the NBA. Bondy covered sports at North Jersey Media Group and was an assistant sports editor at the New Jersey Herald. He was also an editorial assistant at the Associated Press, where he worked in the sports department in New York. Bondy has a bachelor’s degree in journalism from the University of Maryland College Park. Be sure to congratulate Bondy on X/Twitter.
POPSUGAR’s Ferlita goes freelance… Gabriella Ferlita, contributing associate editor – FTC at POPSUGAR, has left to go freelance. Previously, Ferlita has freelanced for various outlets, including HuffPost, Insider, Condé Nast, Elite Daily, Daily Mirror, Cosmopolitan, LADbible Group and Metro.co.uk. She has also worked as a celebrity and TV journalist at the Daily Mirror and held the posts of SEO journalist, journalist for Tyla and journalist at the LADbible Group. She also worked at MailOnline. Ferlita has a B.A. in journalism and English literature and linguistics from the University of Roehampton in London. You can reach out to Ferlita via X/Twitter or LinkedIn.
Marshall Project launches Mississippi outlet with two reporters… The Pulitzer Prize-winning nonprofit newsroom The Marshall Project has launched its second local news operation in Jackson, Miss., and hired Daja E. Henry and Caleb Bedillion as reporters. In her new role, Henry will cover local criminal justice stories that examine persistent problems in policing, courts, local jails and state prisons. She will join from The 19th, a nonprofit news outlet where as a fellow she reported breaking news and wrote investigative pieces about race and equity. Before that, she served as a neighborhood and education reporter at the online newspaper The Daily Memphian. Henry has a B.A. in journalism from Arizona State University and a master’s degree in journalism from Howard University. Bedillion will cover prisons, police and courts, and collaborate with local news outlets and publishing partners to highlight inequities in the criminal justice system. Recently, he was a politics and investigations editor at The Northeast Mississippi Daily Journal. He also worked with ProPublica’s Local Reporting Network, where he worked on “stories that exposed widespread missteps within the Mississippi court systems.” Bedillion has degrees from Mississippi College and Yale University Divinity School.
Kwai joins the NY Times London Express team… Isabella Kwai has joined The New York Times Express team in London as a general assignment and breaking news reporter. In her new role, Kwai will cover social media trends, international spot news, overnight U.S. news and live coverage of extreme weather. She has been with the Times for more than six years, joining as a reporter and researcher, and recently serving as a breaking news reporter covering Europe. Previously, she was a media fellow at The Atlantic and an editorial assistant at global illustrated book publisher The Quarto Group in London. Kwai has a B.A. from Duke University, where she was a columnist for the student newspaper, the Duke Chronicle. You can congratulate Kwai on X/Twitter.
Hearst’s CCO departs, editorial director named… Kate Lewis, chief content officer at Hearst Magazines, has announced her departure after more than nine years. Lewis’ previous roles at the company include VP for content operations and editorial director, and SVP and editorial director for Hearst Magazines Digital Media. She has also worked at Condé Nast and Self Magazine. Lewis graduated from Amherst College. Lucy Kaylin, VP of print content, has been appointed editorial director. She has been at Hearst Magazines for more than a decade. Kaylin has held the posts of executive editor of Marie Claire magazine, deputy editor and then editor-in-chief of O, The Oprah Magazine. Before that, she was at Condé Nast, where she worked for 20 years. Kaylin has a B.A. from Hobart and William Smith Colleges in New York and an M.A. from Columbia University in New York.
André, Kang join Nat Geo as VPs… Tulani André has joined National Geographic as VP, social media. Recently, she served as global head for social and editorial at Prime Video and Amazon Studios, where she was previously head of social. She also served as VP, social media at Fox Corporation, and freelanced as a social media and content strategist at Edelman. André has a B.A. from Spelman College in Atlanta and a M.A. from Tufts University. Soo-Jeong Kang has joined as VP and head of visuals. Kang comes from The New Yorker, where she served as executive director for programming and development. In this role, she integrated content strategy to unveil opportunities for the magazine. Previously, she worked at The New York Times for eight years as a photography editor and executive producer. Kang graduated from Parsons School of Design in New York.
The Banker’s investment hire… Michael Klimeš has joined The Banker as an investment banking and capital markets editor. Recently, Klimeš was at Money Marketing, where he joined in April 2021 as a news editor, and then served as an acting editor. He worked as a correspondent for Professional Pensions at Incisive Media, and was a business journalist at International Business Times U.K. Klimeš has a bachelor’s degree in English literature and history from the University of Edinburgh and a master’s degree in magazine journalism from City University London. You can congratulate Klimeš on X/Twitter.
WaPo’s political appointment… The Washington Post has appointed Brianna Tucker deputy campaign editor on the National politics desk to shape coverage of the 2024 presidential campaign. “Brianna will help guide the talented team of journalists chronicling this extraordinary political moment in America, with a focus on helping drive vivid, agenda-setting and peerless reporting from the campaign trail,” the Post reports. “She also will help edit our in-the-moment coverage and organize staff deployments to ensure our report is timely, comprehensive and engaging new audiences.” Tucker joined in 2021 as deputy editor on the 202 newsletters team, editing news and analysis for the morning political newsletter The Early 202. She also helped launch The Climate 202 and served as deputy politics editor, NextGen. She has also worked at The Chronicle of Higher Education. A graduate of the University of Texas at Austin, you can congratulate Tucker on X/Twitter.
Messy print: Buffalo News to move presses, axe 160… The Buffalo News will lay off 160 production employees following its plans to move its printing operation to Cleveland. The change was announced by parent Lee Enterprises earlier this year. “We believe The Buffalo News should be printed in Buffalo, not in Cleveland or any other city outside of the Western New York region that we serve,” the Buffalo Newspaper Guild said. “Lee has invested little in the Western New York community and has spent more time extracting resources from The Buffalo News.” They further claim that Lee will sell the property and channel the funds elsewhere. Read more here.
Wafula named BBC’s Africa security correspondent… BBC News has tapped Ian Wafula to serve as Africa security correspondent, based in Nairobi. “Looking forward to cover the continent and its complex security nuances,” he wrote on X/Twitter. Previously, Wafula was based in London, where he worked for BBC’s flagship news and current affairs program “Focus on Africa.” He also served as a senior presenter of “The Breakdown,” a special BBC Africa TV program to help audiences make sense of the pandemic. He has also worked at local TV stations in Kenya, including K24 and KTN. Wafula has a bachelor’s degree in communication from Daystar University in Nairobi and a master’s degree in international journalism, communication and media studies from Cardiff University.
Llerena departs Charleston TV station… Rey Llerena, a reporter and multimedia journalist at CBS station WCSC-TV Ch. 5 in Charleston, S.C., has left. “I have way too many people to thank for giving me the opportunity to work in Charleston. More info on next steps coming soon!,” he wrote on X/Twitter. Previously, Llerena was a cyber-journalist and writer at WSVN-TV Ch. 7, a Fox affiliate in Miami, and a contributing writer at SB Nation. He interned at The Miami Herald. Llerena has a bachelor’s degree in journalism from Florida International University, where he wrote for the student newspaper The Beacon. Reach out to Llerena via X/Twitter or LinkedIn.
Massachusetts’ Needham Channel hires for community coverage… Cameron Morsberger has joined Needham Channel’s new online outlet Needham Local as community news reporter and digital media editor. The Needham Channel is a local TV and production studio in Massachusetts. Recently, Morsberger was a reporter at The Lowell Sun in Massachusetts. She also worked as a Newton correspondent at Boston Globe Media as part of a partnership between Boston University and the Globe. She was a general assignment reporter at the Bucks County Courier Times in Pennsylvania and a local politics staff writer at The Boston Political Review. Morsberger has a B.S. in journalism and psychology from Boston University, where she was managing editor of the student newspaper, The Daily Free Press. Be sure to congratulate Morsberger on X/Twitter.
FT hires Mersinoglu as telecom and tech correspondent… Yasemin Craggs Mersinoglu, external platforms editor at the Financial Times, has taken on the role of telecom and technology correspondent. Previously, she held the posts of consumer industries reporter and breaking news reporter. Mersinoglu freelanced for The Independent, and was a reporter at FE Week, where she covered breaking news among other tasks. There, she was commended in the NCTJ Awards for Excellence 2020 for news journalism. She was also a reporter at South West Londoner. A graduate of the University of Nottingham, Mersinoglu has interned at the Financial Times, Archant and City Weekend in China. You can congratulate Mersinoglu 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.
