IBT tech editor Learmonth takes over media and culture coverage

International Business Times editor in chief Peter Goodman sent out the following announcement to the staff on Wednesday evening:

I am delighted to share the news that Michael Learmonth has agreed to expand his considerable portfolio to take over Media and Culture, effective immediately. Ellen Killoran, who achieved so much in building out the section while delivering quality stories on a great array of subjects, has left the company. We wish her well on her next adventure.

Those who have been paying attention to Michael’s achievements in the few months he has been here can feel certain that Media and Culture is set to gain a major injection of energy, smarts and insight. In Michael’s hands, our Tech coverage has been elevated in every conceivable way. It is faster, more original, more engaging and — not least — more widely read than ever. Michael has more recently taken a leadership role in video, using tech coverage as a laboratory for what we can achieve in this crucial medium, generating ideas we will export to other sections.

Michael will continue to lead Tech and Video, but now he will take on an equally substantial task — making Media & Culture’s report newsier, more immediate, more international, and more focused on the business angles. He has plan to pursue the future of television, the evolution of the music industry, the changing ways of publishing and advertising. We will exploit our base in New York while setting our sites on Hollywood, Silicon Valley, Bollywood and Shanghai. Writers on this soon-to-be-expanded section are in for a treat in working with Michael. Readers will reap the greatest harvest of all.

Please join me in congratulating Michael on his expanded role.