Press release
David Beard Joins National Journal Group as Deputy Editor-in-Chief and Online Editor
Washington, D.C. (September 29, 2010) — National Journal Group announced today that online news specialist David Beard is joining the organization as Deputy Editor-in-Chief and Online Editor. He will oversee National Journal’s subscription and free websites and work closely with the entire editorial team in the new digital-first National Journal newsroom. Beard is currently Editor of Boston.com, the website of the Boston Globe.
“As we take on the mission of a digital-first news organization, it’s critical that we have a unique talent in the role of Online Editor,” said National Journal Group Editor-in-Chief Ron Fournier. “David’s stellar work at the Boston Globe has proven that he has the leadership, creativity, and energy that will transform the way we deliver news and analysis to our audience.”
For the past four years, Beard has edited Boston.com, one of the top regional newspaper sites in the nation. He helped oversee the integration of the online and print news operations, promoting spot news in local, health, business, sports, and arts blogs. The site has won several nationwide awards under his watch, including a Webby for The Big Picture, a photography blog that has become a global phenomenon.
Beard has overseen a sharp growth in Facebook and Twitter tools on the site and has taught social media techniques to staffers and other contributors.
“David is a true expert in both the art and the science of harnessing digital platforms for a 360-degree news experience,” said Ron Brownstein, Editorial Director for National Journal Group. “His deep background in reporting and editing, combined with his insight and experience in the digital media world, will make him a huge asset to our newsroom.”
Prior to editing Boston.com, Beard was an assistant managing editor, regional editor and deputy foreign editor of the Globe and covered the Caribbean and Latin America for South Florida’s Sun-Sentinel and The Associated Press. He also worked at the AP’s International Desk in New York, as well as in Mississippi and Argentina.
Beard is a Pennsylvania native and graduate of Northwestern University’s Medill School of Journalism. He later earned an Inter American Press Association fellowship in Argentina. David and his wife, Gail Friedman, have two sons, Eric and Jordan.
Beard is the latest in a growing list of talented writers, reporters, and analysts joining National Journal Group. In the last several weeks, National Journal Group has announced several important new additions, including Reuters’ Patsy Wilson, USA Today’s Kathy Kiely, veteran journalist Terence Samuel, the Miami Herald’s Beth Reinhard, former Fox News correspondent Major Garrett, Newsweek’s Michael Hirsh, veteran magazine writer and editor Matt Cooper, political analyst Matthew Dowd, The Atlantic’s Marc Ambinder, USA Today’s Aamer Madhani, the Wall Street Journal’s Yochi Dreazen, Sue Davis, and Fawn Johnson, Politico’s Josh Kraushaar, Coral Davenport, and Tim Alberta, the Tribune Washington Bureau’s Jim Tankersley, Campaigns and Elections’ Jeremy Jacobs, Modern Healthcare’s Matt DoBias, and more. 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.
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