Reuters reporter Russ joins media tech team

Kenneth Li, the editor in charge of U.S. media and telecoms coverage at Reuters, sent out the following staff announcement on Tuesday:

Reuters veteran Hilary Russ is joining the media-tech team in New York, taking her expertise in the explosive world of sports betting and applying it to a new gig covering the intersection of sports business, media and esports. Expect Hilary to explore how will big tech disrupt the lucrative world of sports media. Why are people spending as much time watching Overwatch as they are playing it? Does esports belong in the Olympics? What role will online sports gambling play in the media industry’s bottom line?

Over the last seven years. Hilary has landed scoops on Atlantic City’s fiscal disaster and its impact on New Jersey taxpayers and the state. She has also broken news on the infrastructure, public pensions, and the oft-overlooked but fascinating $3.8 trillion muni bond market beat. Her favorite headline? A story about Chris Christie: “New Jersey economic comeback? Fuhgeddaboudit!”

Hilary is also a boxer, scuba diver and a birder. She once survived a scorpion bite on a small island in Nicaragua. That particular skill will come in handy in her new gig.