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| Joe Kahn |
The New York Times names Joe Kahn, who has been the paper’s managing editor since 2016, to the paper’s top newsroom job. Kahn will become executive editor when current executive editor Dean Baquet exits the position, which is expected to happen in June. Kahn served as China correspondent for The Dallas Morning News and editor and publisher of The Far Eastern Economic Review before coming to the Times in 1998. In addition to serving as managing editor, his posts at the paper have included Beijing bureau chief, deputy foreign editor and international editor. “Joe brings impeccable news judgment, a sophisticated understanding of the forces shaping the world and a long track record of helping journalists produce their most ambitious and courageous work,” said Times publisher A.G. Sulzberger in a memo to its staff.
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Infowars, the website founded by Alex Jones, has filed for bankruptcy. Jones has placed Infowars under the control of outside administrators, who have put the company under Chapter 11 protection in an attempt to hold off litigation as the company tries to resolve legal claims against it. Jones was held liable by courts in both Connecticut and Texas for defaming families of the 2012 Sandy Hook school shooting through his claims that the families were actors and the deaths of the shooting’s victims were faked. A formal damages reward has not yet been made by either court. According to a report the Wall Street Journal, plaintiffs in the Texas case claimed that Jones drew about $18 million between 2018 and 2021 from Free Speech Systems, which operates Infowars.
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| Wendy Rieger |
Wendy Rieger, who anchored the 5 p.m. newscast on Washington, DC’s NBC4 for more than two decades, died on April 16 following a battle with glioblastoma. After getting her start in journalism at American University’s WAMU, she subsequently served as a weekend reporter for CNN and joined NBC4 as a reporter in 1996. She became a news anchor in 1996, and retired from that position in 2021. “Wendy delivered the news honestly — with humor, heart, & expertise and she will be missed dearly,” said DC mayor Muriel Bowser in a tweet.
Trump Media and Technology Group Corp. has replaced CEO and former California Congressman Devin Nunes with Kevin McGurn, a seasoned media sales executive.
The Pittsburgh Post-Gazette is being bought by the Venetoulis Institute for Local Journalism, a nonprofit that is the parent organization of the Baltimore Banner... The British Broadcasting Corporation is axing approximately 2,000 jobs, about 10 percent of its work force... Snap, the company behind Snapchat, is also succumbing to layoff fever, announcing plans to lay off 16 percent of its employees, about 1,000 people.
CBS News Radio will go off the air on May 22, part of the axe-swinging managerial plan put into play by CBS editor-in-chief Bari Weiss... The Economist, which was first published in 1843, is changing hands. Canadian billionaire Stephen Smith has agreed to acquire a 26.9 percent stake in the publication from Lady Lynn Forester de Rothschild, her family and family foundation... Nexstar Media Group says it has closed its acquisition of TEGNA, the broadcast, digital media and marketing services company that was formed in 2015, when the Gannett Company split into two publicly traded companies.
USA TODAY brings on Jamie Stockwell as VP of news, effective March 30. Stockwell was most recently deputy managing editor of news for the Washington Post... YouTube expands its likeness detection capabilities to a pilot group of government officials, journalists and political candidates... The AP Fund for Journalism adds 50 news organizations to its local news program, bringing the total number of participating newsrooms to 100. 
Versant Media Group, the NBCUniversal cable TV spin-off, today reported its first financial results as 2025 revenues dipped 5.3 percent to $6.7B and standalone EBITDA dropped 9.1 percent to $2.2B.
