New auto reporter at NPR

Sonari Glinton has been named the new auto and transportation reporter at National Public Radio, according to a memo posted on the FishbowlDC site.

The memo from Uri Berliner, deputy supervising senior editor of NPR’s national desk, states:

The National Desk is happy to announce that Sonari Glinton is joining the business reporting staff during Frank Langfitt’s Foreign Desk posting in Nairobi, Kenya. Sonari will report on the auto industry and transportation from Detroit. He’ll be covering an important beat from a city and region where we will benefit from his knowledge and talents.

Sonari recently completed a very successful reporting stint at WBUR in Boston where he turned out a strong range of work – breaking news, enterprise, features and Web-only essays. He examined the financial overhaul bill, investigated a spike in suicides among Massachusetts inmates and profiled the state’s independent candidate for governor. He has proven his creativity and ability to manage tight deadlines during three years of production work at “All Things Considered.” He is also an alumnus of Chicago Public Radio, where he worked as a producer and general assignment reporter.

Sonari is especially well suited to this particular assignment…He grew up in an auto industry family. During summers in college he worked on the assembly line at a Chicago plant making the Ford Taurus and Mercury Sable. He also worked in finance in Chicago and has family ties in Detroit. He knows the Midwest and the culture of the auto industry. We’re glad to have him on the business reporting team.