Reuters names new tech, media editor

Thomson Reuters announced Monday the hiring of Peter Lauria as editor in charge of technology, media and telecom coverage in the Americas, replacing Ken Li who has moved into his new role as editor of Reuters.com.

Lauria has covered the media and entertainment industry for more than a decade, and broken many stories including the merger between Sirius and XM satellite radio companies, and the defection of Paul McCartney from EMI to the now-defunct Starbucks Records.

Lauria started his career at The Deal, after which he moved to The New York Post to help shape media, entertainment and technology coverage for the paper’s business section. Last year, he joined The Daily Beast, where he continued to break stories. Since February 2011, he has been freelancing for Fortune and other news outlets, and acted as consulting editor for Mogulite, a website on his favorite subject, media magnates.

“Peter is one of the best reporters covering U.S. media and technology today. He is known for his excellent industry sources, deep expertise on the media business, and his relentless pursuit of media moguls,” said Tiffany Wu, editor-in-charge of company news in the Americas at Reuters, in a statement. “Our readers and clients will benefit from Peter’s wealth of experience and passion for breaking big news.”

Peter’s television and radio appearances include “The Today Show,” “Good Day New York,” CNBC, CNN and BBC Radio.

“I’m proud and excited to be joining the talented group of journalists at Reuters,” said Lauria in a statement. “Reuters is a global leader in breaking news and commentary, and I look forward to both the challenge and opportunity of leading a world class TMT team.”

Peter will join Thomson Reuters in New York on Aug. 8.