San Fran Chronicle hires not one, but two business editors

The San Francisco Chronicle has hired two business editors to oversee its business and economics coverage.

The paper has hired Thomas Lee, formerly of the Minneapolis Star Tribune, and Ben Muessig, formerly of the New York Daily News, to act as co-business editors at The Chronicle. Muessig started at the beginning of January, and Lee’s first day was last week.

“We want to increase collaboration and reduce hierarchy within our newsroom ranks so we can be more responsive to news,” said assistant managing editor Kristen Go when asked by Talking Biz News about hiring two business editors. “We’re doing this in conjunction with increasing the size of the staff, reassessing beats and redesigning the section.

“This is a good section to have co-editors because the size of the department — even with the additions — is relatively small — 10 reporters, two editors. This is a place where it made sense to really make Ben and Tom equals in deciding play, sharing responsibilities of meetings and administrative duties.”

The Chronicle currently has a collaboration with Bloomberg News to provide content for its business news section, but Go said that “is something we are assessing as we move forward.”

Lee had also previously worked for Xconomy, Med City News and the St. Louis Post-Dispatch business news desk. He won a Gerald Loeb Award last year for breaking news.

Muessig previously worked as a reporter for the Brooklyn Paper and an editor for the New York City news blog Gothamist.