Reuters names new West Coast bureau chief

Jim Gaines, editor of the Americas for Reuters, sent out the following staff announcement on Friday:

I am pleased to announce the appointment of Jonathan Weber, founding editor of The Industry Standard who later helped create two news organizations covering the Western United States, as West Coast bureau chief. Jonathan, who joins us on Sept. 19, will lead our file from the West with a special focus on our coverage of technology, the entertainment industry and the region’s political and economic story. He will be based in San Francisco.

At The Industry Standard, the highly regarded business magazine launched in 1998 to cover the Internet economy, Jonathan supervised all aspects of the launch, managed editorial operations on a day-to-day basis, and edited many of the magazine’s major news and feature stories. He was a writer, visiting professor and consultant in Montana from 2002 to 2010 and in 2005 created New West Publishing LLC, a multi-platform media company focused on the story of growth and change in the Rocky Mountain West. Since 2010, he has been editor in chief of The Bay Citizen, a general interest news organization he helped create to serve the San Francisco Bay Area. Earlier in his career, Jonathan worked for the Los Angeles Times for eight years, serving as technology editor from 1994-1997.

With Jonathan’s appointment, San Francisco Bureau Chief Peter Henderson will take on the new role of West Coast Enterprise Editor. He will have a mandate to drive groundbreaking political and economic coverage of California and the nation, helping to coordinate and spur enterprise stories by West Coast and other reporters. He will remain based in San Francisco.

Peter brings a wealth of Reuters experience to his new duties. He joined us in 1996 as a correspondent in Moscow and served as West Coast business editor from 2004 until 2008, when he was appointed to run the San Francisco bureau. Peter will report to Jonathan, and will devote a significant part of his time to writing, editing and directing special reports for Mike Williams’ enterprise team.

Please join me in congratulating Jonathan and Peter as they take up their critical new roles.