[ad_1]
NEW YORK (AP) – Julie Pace, a longtime Washington reporter who handled U.S. government coverage during a period of historic turmoil, was appointed editor and senior vice president of The Associated Press on Wednesday.
Pace, 39, has been the PA’s Washington bureau chief since 2017, guiding reporting on the Trump administration, national security, politics and Biden’s new White House. She rose to the top of the editorial board by promising to accelerate the digital transformation of PA.
Pace succeeds Sally Buzbee, who became editor-in-chief of the Washington Post in June, and is the third woman in a row to lead the PA’s global news operation. His appointment is effective immediately and was announced by Gary Pruitt, President and CEO of AP, and Daisy Veerasingham, Executive Vice President and COO. Veerasingham will become President and CEO at the end of the year.
“It’s a very exciting time for the AP – we’re a 175-year-old news organization with a new CEO and a new editor,” Pruitt said. “Julie Pace has a vision for the future of AP that is in line with our long-standing values but also turned towards the future. She will do a great job.
As she takes on her new role, Pace said it’s important to push all of the PA journalists – text, video reporters, photographers, fact-checkers and graphic producers – out of individual silos to work together to present compelling stories.
“We’re in a position where we have the opportunity to really modernize our reporting,” Pace said in an interview. “We have the opportunity to use all the fantastic journalism that we do in all formats and to think of ways to make it more digitally friendly, to make it more user-friendly. “
The latest news will remain the backbone of the PA report, but reporters will move quickly to provide analysis, context and fact-checking to these stories, she said.
In some ways, Pace is herself a symbol of the PA’s transition: she joined the organization in Washington in 2007 as a video producer and became chief White House correspondent. A frequent on-air analyst on networks such as CNN, ABC and Fox, she is comfortable speaking in public, representing a company that is often overlooked despite posting reporters in 250 locations in 100 countries.
It is a legacy of the history of the AP primarily as a wholesaler of news disseminated by other outlets. A smaller PA put more emphasis on impact journalism, becoming a more consumer-oriented organization rather than a bland public service. The PA has won two Pulitzer Prizes this year and has been a finalist for three more.
“We play this incredibly vital role in how people around the world get their information, and I think sometimes we don’t get enough credit for it,” she said. “There are millions – over a billion people – who hear from the PA every day. There is real power behind the work we do.
Pace’s experience as a public communicator has been a plus for the future, as the company looks to play a leadership role in the industry where appropriate, Veerasingham said in an interview.
There have been a series of leadership changes in national news agencies in recent months. In addition to Buzbee and Pace, Kevin Merida has been named editor of the Los Angeles Times, Kim Godwin is president of ABC News, Wendy McMahon and Neeraj Khemlani share the same position at CBS News, Rashida Jones is president of MSNBC and Alessandra Galloni is Editor in Chief. -Head at Reuters.
What they all have in common is that none are white men at a time when the industry has signaled the importance of diversity. This was probably not such an urgent issue for the AP, compared to other places, since its newsroom has been run by a woman since 2002, when Kathleen Carroll became editor, Veerasingham said.
“The best person for the job is a woman,” she said.
Pace has proven to be a strong, collaborative leader who has consistently demonstrated great information judgment and a deep understanding of the PA’s mission and place in the industry. information, Veerasingham said.
The steady decline in the dissemination of news and advertising that has led to the closure of hundreds of newspapers over the past two decades has also affected the PA; its revenues have fallen by more than 25% over the past decade. The company is increasingly looking to foreign markets for growth opportunities.
Journalism also faces a politically fueled crisis of confidence. The Pew Research Center said this week that the number of Republicans who say they have at least some faith in national news outlets has been halved, from 70% in 2016 to 35% this year.
With readers and viewers often confused as to the line between news and opinion, Pace said this made the PA’s mission to provide factual journalism even more important.
“Factual journalism does not mean that all aspects of an issue are broadcast,” she said. “It means we’re going to be very clear with people on the facts. If that matches one side of a problem, we’ll be very clear about it. We are not going to be intimidated under these circumstances.
The PA has stepped up its fact-checking operations, sending articles examining the truth behind the issues more frequently, and Pace said more will be done in this area. Fact-checks and explanations for news articles are routinely among AP’s most used devices.
Pace said the AP will continue to seek grants and foundation funds that allow the organization to hire more people to look at specific issues. He has taken this route in recent years to strengthen coverage of religion, philanthropy, health and science.
About fifty candidates, internal and external, were interviewed for the post. The complexity of the AP and its unique position in the industry tend to give those familiar with the organization an edge, Veerasingham said. But the company is also interested in people who can offer different perspectives and ideas, she said.
Copyright © 2021. All rights reserved. This website is not intended for users located in the European Economic Area.
[ad_2]
Source link