USA Today on Tuesday named Jamie Stockwell, a former editor at The Washington Post and The New York Times, as the next leader of its newsroom.
Ms. Stockwell, 49, will hold the title of vice president of news rather than the traditional editor in chief label, the company said.
USA Today is the flagship publication of USA Today Company, formerly known as Gannett, which is the largest newspaper publisher in the country. USA Today Company has more than 200 local newspapers across almost every state, including The Arizona Republic, The Detroit Free Press and The Indianapolis Star.
Ms. Stockwell said in an interview that USA Today represented the intersection of national and local journalism, with “extraordinary reach.”
“It just feels so uniquely positioned to take the pulse of America and bring those insights into the national conversation,” she said.
Ms. Stockwell plans to focus on how to meet audiences where they are in a time when reading habits and technology are evolving.
“A year from now, not only do I want readers to feel more connected to us and to feel USA Today is an essential part of how they understand what’s happening in the country,” she said, “but I also want the newsroom to be leading the industry in how we innovate and experiment in service of readers.”
She is the third person named as the top editor of USA Today in the past three years. Caren Bohan abruptly departed in December after just over a year in the job. Terrence Samuel left suddenly in July 2024 after a year.
Ms. Stockwell was most recently the deputy managing editor of news at The Washington Post, overseeing newsroom operations, and had also served as The Post’s executive local editor. She was laid off last month as part of the drastic cuts at that newspaper that shrank the staff by more than a third.
Ms. Stockwell worked at The Times as a deputy national editor and as the executive editor of Axios Local, expanding its number of local newsletters to 30 markets.
“Her experience building high-performing teams at a local and national level, driving transformation and producing high-impact storytelling with her candid leadership style will be instrumental as we accelerate USA Today’s evolution and solidify our role as America’s essential, facts-forward news source,” Monica Richardson, senior vice president of USA Today, said in a statement.
Ms. Stockwell, who will report to Ms. Richardson, will start at USA Today on March 30.
Katie Robertson covers the media industry for The Times. Email: [email protected]
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