WSJ names head of live journalism; hires head of video

Wall Street Journal editor in chief Emma Tucker sent out the following on Friday:

I’m pleased to announce that Maral Usefi has been hired as our new Head of Video for The Wall Street Journal. Maral is an award-winning journalist, producer and creative executive who joins us most recently from Vice Media, where she spent nearly a decade in various roles including director, producer and VP of news and editorial operations. Previously, she was a senior producer at Al Jazeera America, CNN, Fox News and has experience developing and running short and long-form content, documentaries and series.

Video plays a crucial role in our storytelling and how we deliver on our audience-first strategy across formats, and Maral’s expert leadership of the team will be critically important in this next chapter. She joins us on September 8.

I’m equally pleased to share that Katherine Finnerty has been named our new Head of Live Journalism. Katherine has been the deputy editor of live journalism at the Journal since 2021, leading content strategy and editorial direction for WSJ events including Tech Live and The Future of Everything. Throughout that time, she has proven herself an inspiring innovator who also keeps a cool head in any situation.

The live journalism team is a conduit for the wider WSJ newsroom – bringing the trusted relationships, journalistic rigor and excellence in storytelling to our stages across the world. Our events will only become more important as we race into the age of AI, and Katherine’s stewardship of the team puts us in fine form to bring our journalism to life.

Please join me in welcoming Maral and congratulating Katherine on this well-deserved promotion.

Emma