Dow Jones names new leaders for spot news desk

Dow Jones Newswires managing editor Linda Fung sent out the following announcement to the staff Wednesday afternoon:

I am pleased to announce the new management team for the Dow Jones Newswires Spot News desk in New York.

Talib Amir, a long-time copy desk editor and manager, will oversee the spot news team in the role of Assistant Managing Editor. Adam Kuczynski, a member of the spot news desk for nearly six years, has been named assistant news editor. Talib and Adam will work to ensure the spot news desk, which is primarily responsible for putting out headlines on corporate and other disclosure news sources, develops the tools to help us go through releases quickly to find key information.

Talib joins spot news from the Americas Copy Desk, where he oversaw the editing of features and columns from all asset classes. He took part in setting up the features slot in 2008, which ensures that premier Dow Jones columns are edited to the highest standards. Talib has also helped edit Newswires stories for the regional pages of the Wall Street Journal, and oversees the work of several copy editors. Prior to this, Talib was responsible for running the Enterprise editing desk. Prior to joining Dow Jones in early 2001, Talib was an assignment editor at The Journal News in West Nyack, N.Y. and had been a copy editor at the Laredo Morning Times in Laredo, Texas. He has an M.A. in Communications from the University of Washington.

Adam has been an editor on the spot news desk since 2005 and was most recently a copy editor, where his responsibilities included writing headlines, serving as a headline coordinator and helping implement training programs for new hires. Prior to Dow Jones, he worked at Worrall Community Newspapers as a reporter and at ComRadio as an on-air host. He has a B.A. in Journalism from Pennsylvania State University and an M.A. in Corporate and Public Communications from Monmouth University.

Talib is filling the vacancy created by the departure of Tony Cooke, who recently became Editor, Elementized News. Adam is replacing Melodie Warner, who recently joined the Newswires Rewrite Desk.