Auto reporter becoming Midwest editor at Reuters

Paul Thomasch, editor of U.S. general news at Reuters, sent out the following announcement on Wednesday:

I am pleased to announce that Ben Klayman has been appointed Editor-in-Charge, U.S. General News, Midwest. Ben, who joined Reuters in 1998, will oversee the general news file from Minnesota down to Texas, Kansas across to Tennessee, working in close coordination with the other regional U.S. General News EICs and Chicago Bureau Chief David Greising. In other words, he can look forward to a crash course on tornadoes, gay marriage laws, executions, police shootings, race relations, political swing states, methamphetamine drug rings, abortion legislation and Chicago/Texas/Memphis barbeque. David Bailey, Fiona Ortiz, Mary Wisniewski, Suzannah Gonzales and Jon Herskovitz will report to Ben, who will also run a network of stringers across the region.

Ben has a long, diverse Reuters background to draw on. After his first stint on the autos beat in Detroit, where he helped break news on Daimler AG’s acquisition of Chrysler, he moved to Chicago to cover telecoms and eventually lead a six-person manufacturing team. Following that, he covered the business of sports. In 2010, Ben moved back to Detroit and the following year returned to the autos team. In the past year, he played a role in breaking news about GM’s defective ignition switch, among other stories.

Ben, who will stay in Detroit, starts his new role on July 1, reporting to me.

I’m equally delighted to announce that Victoria Cavaliere is joining Reuters as a correspondent on the U.S. General News team, where she will begin by taking over the overnight shift. This crucial assignment makes her the point person for breaking news across the country during the night – allowing all of us to sleep more soundly. Victoria, a star freelancer for us over the past two years, brings sharp news instincts, quick and elegant writing and a tremendous sense of teamwork to the job. First in New York and later in Seattle, Victoria has covered a scores of stories for Reuters, from breaking news (Bridgegate/Christie and Cory Booker’s election) to features (“The greenest goodbye: Seattle group wants to compost the dead”).

Previously Victoria was a staff reporter for the New York Daily News, covering local and national news, and worked at NewsCore, NBC, CBS and Voice of America. Victoria is a graduate of University of Texas and holds a master’s degree in journalism/international affairs from the University of Southern California. A French and Spanish speaker, Victoria is known to foster stray animals, enjoys hiking and has tested the paddleboarding waters (she’s in Seattle, after all) .

Working out of the West Coast and reporting to Cynthia Johnston, Victoria will start on July 1. At that time, Curtis Skinner, who has done an exceptional job on the overnight shift since September, will begin working dayside in San Francisco. Curtis, who has won high praise from media clients for his late night coverage of everything from the Ferguson riots to the Philadelphia train crash, also reports to Cynthia.

Please join me in congratulating Ben, Victoria and Curtis.