NPR hires Kerr to cover tech

In a note to newsroom staff, Emily Kopp, acting chief business editor, made the following announcement:

I’m thrilled to introduce NPR’s new tech reporter, Dara Kerr, who starts with us on Jan. 9. Along with our intrepid Bobby Allyn, Dara will examine the choices tech companies make and the influence they wield over our lives.

Dara comes to NPR from The Markup, where she covered labor at tech companies. She produced gripping investigations of the risks that Uber and Lyft drivers take—and the lack of protection the tech companies provide them. Dara also reported on big tech lobbying and the spread of anti-vaccine misinformation on Facebook.

Before The Markup, Dara reported for CNET News. Her daily coverage ranged from Airbnb’s regulatory battles to self-driving cars to the proliferation of lab-grown meat. While at CNET, Dara traveled the length of the Texas-Mexico border to report on how surveillance technology is used throughout the region. She also went to Brazil to write about how one Amazonian tribe is using technology to fight deforestation.

Dara is originally from Colorado and spent several years living in Latin America. She’s based in the Bay Area, but will be visiting HQ later this month. If you’re in Washington, please come say hi and tell her a bit about your part of the newsroom.