Business journalist Lawrence Lewitinn has been hired as editor in chief of Modern Consensus, a new website covering the cryptocurrency and blockchain markets.
Modern Consensus is the brainchild of Ken Kurson, who was editor in chief of the New York Observer from 2013 to 2017.
Lewitinn was previously deputy editor of the Observer as well as its business and tech editor. He also worked at Yahoo Finance, where he regularly produced and wrote some of the site’s market news stories. Prior to Yahoo, he was a producer for CNBC’s “Talking Numbers,” “Options Action” and “Futures Now.”
“We’re on the cusp of a radical shift in how the world defines and accounts for financial interactions,” said Lewitinn in a statement. “That’s the very fabric of society and culture everywhere. Yet coverage has been relegated to a few niche sites and a handful of reporters here and there at the larger news organizations.”
Lewitinn spent two decades in finance before reporting on it. He managed the Asian and European markets desk for quantitative-oriented hedge fund MQS Asset Management, trading fixed income, currencies, and commodities. He also served as director of acquisitions for two real estate investment companies.
A graduate of New York University, Lewitinn has both an MBA in finance and a master of international affairs from Columbia University, with concentrations in security policy and the Middle East.
Joining Kurson and Lewitinn is contributing reporter Dylan Love, who was previously a tech reporter for International Business Times, The Daily Dot, and Business Insider.
“I’m approaching 10 years in technology and cryptocurrency reporting,” said Love. “I’m thrilled to be shining a spotlight on this contentious, dramatic arena.”