ProPublica hires DePillis to cover trade and economy

ProPublica announced Tuesday that Lydia DePillis is joining its Washington, D.C., newsroom as a reporter covering trade and the economy in the lead up to the 2020 election.

She starts Aug. 5.

DePillis comes to ProPublica from CNN Business, where she was a senior writer focusing on national economic policies and how they affect people’s lives. Some of her most notable stories include deep dives on the high-risk, high-reward world of selling goods on Amazon and how the closing of GM’s Lordstown, Ohio, plant signaled a devastating blow, economically and symbolically, to what was once an iconic American job.

Before CNN, DePillis covered Texas’ economy for the Houston Chronicle; labor and the workplace for The Washington Post; and the business, culture and politics of the technology industry for The New Republic. DePillis was also previously a real estate columnist for the Washington City Paper, where she authored its award-winning Housing Complex blog. Her work has appeared in the New York Observer, Pacific Standard, Slate and various trade publications.

“Lydia has had an impressive track record investigating economic issues and making the topic accessible to a wide and diverse audience,” senior editor Marilyn Thompson said. “We’re confident that her experience and insight will allow these stories to be told in a fresh, compelling way.”

DePillis said: “This administration has had profound and far-reaching effects on the U.S. economy. I can’t think of any publication better equipped than ProPublica to find out and explain how that’s playing out, which is why I’m so excited to join the new team in D.C.”