National Journal release
Marc Ambinder and Aamer Madhani to Lead New National Journal W.H. Team
Washington, D.C. (August 16, 2010) — National Journal Group announced today that two of Washington’s fastest-rising journalistic talents are joining together to lead National Journal’s new White House team: Marc Ambinder, currently the politics editor of The Atlantic; and Aamer Madhani, currently a correspondent with USA Today.
“The New ‘A’-Team—Ambinder and Aamer—is going to be formidable,” said National Journal Editor-in-Chief Ron Fournier. “They are smart, savvy and richly sourced in foreign policy, domestic issues and politics. They have an extraordinary combination of skills that will give National Journal Group readers deep, dependable coverage of the Obama administration.”
Marc Ambinder is a popular blogger at TheAtlantic.com and curates the site’s influential Politics channel. He also writes for The Atlantic magazine, is a contributing editor to National Journal, and is the chief political consultant to CBS News. Ambinder was a founding editor of Hotline’s path-breaking news blog, Hotline On Call. He also worked as a producer and reporter for the ABC News Political Unit and was one of the founders of ABC’s The Note.
Aamer Madhani covers foreign affairs for USA TODAY, where he is based in the Washington bureau. He joined the paper in December 2008 as the Baghdad Bureau Chief, a position he held until April 2010. He spent the previous eight years with the Chicago Tribune. Over nearly three years of reporting in Iraq with USA TODAY and the Tribune, Madhani covered the U.S. invasion, the hand-over of sovereignty by the United States, the trial and execution of Saddam Hussein, three national elections, a provincial election, a constitutional referendum, and the U.S. troop surge. He has also reported from Afghanistan.
Madhani will begin his work with National Journal next month. Ambinder will continue with The Atlantic through the November elections and join National Journal Group immediately thereafter. In the intervening time, The Atlantic will undertake a search for Ambinder’s successor, dedicated to continuing the excellence of its Politics coverage.
When the National Journal newsroom is unified this fall, Ambinder and Madhani will be joining staff writer George Condon, Jr., who covers the White House for CongressDaily. Previously, Condon covered national politics as Washington bureau chief for Copley News Service, where he interviewed seven presidents and reported from 88 countries. He led the team that won the 2006 Pulitzer Prize for National Reporting for coverage of the corruption of Rep. Randy “Duke” Cunningham.
Ambinder and Madhani are joining National Journal Group as the result of a nationwide talent search that has produced several exciting new hires, including the Wall Street Journal’s Yochi Dreazen, Sue Davis and Fawn Johnson; Politico’s Josh Kraushaar and Coral Davenport; Campaigns and Elections’ Jeremy Jacobs, and more. Further announcements will be coming in the next days and weeks. National Journal Group, which includes premium publications such as National Journal, CongressDaily, Hotline, The Almanac of American Politics, and Global Security Newswire, is undergoing a transformation that will build upon its reputation for intelligence and depth, infusing it with currency and speed.
