Back to the Newsroom

I’m very excited to announce I’m joining ProPublica as their first design director this coming May.

ProPublica is a (deliberately) non-profit newsroom, producing investigative journalism in the public interest. This is a new role for the organization, and I’ll be working with the senior editors, reporters, and developers to build a design practice that supports and extends that work.

And the work is really damn good. In the span of a few short years, they’ve become one of the brightest points on the journalism landscape. It’s an organization built around achieving impact through thoroughly vetted, deeply researched reporting. The kind that incites change, as in the best traditions of investigative journalism done right.

It’s been five years since I’ve been a full-time employee of a newsroom. A lot’s happened while I was out consulting in startup land. Responsive web design and the maturing mobile/device landscape. A dual resurgence in long form storytelling and art direction. The rising recognition of data journalism.

We’ll be dealing with all that and more as we chart new territory together. As my new boss, managing editor Robin Fields pointed out in an early conversation, this is a place where everyone is expected to participate in the journalism. I can’t wait to get started.