Josefa Velasquez has been hired by WNYC as its economics & equity editor, overseeing coverage of poverty, economic instability, housing, homelessness and the workforce.
Her first day is Aug. 8, and she will report to deputy editor in chief Stephanie Clary.
Velasquez has been covering New York politics and the state capitol for nearly a decade. She joins from The City, where her reporting on the working conditions of New York City food delivery workers earned a James Beard Award for investigative reporting and an Edward R. Murrow Award for feature reporting. This coverage led to changes in city law that ensured bathroom access and minimum pay for delivery workers.
She has also won a Sidney Award, which honors journalists who pursue investigative reporting and deep storytelling in service of the common good, for her profile of the workers behind Amazon’s union drive. Her reporting on inequities in COVID-19 vaccination distribution led to policy changes that made it easier for underserved communities to get access.
She started her journalism career as a reporter for The Associated Press in its Albany bureau after graduating from SUNY Albany.
