PBS NEWSHOUR names veteran multimedia journalist Tom Kennedy Managing Editor/Digital News

ARLINGTON, Va., April 26, 2012 /PRNewswire-USNewswire/ -- Tom Kennedy, an internationally known visual journalist and multimedia editor, has been tapped to lead the PBS NewsHour's online news operations as Managing Editor/Digital News.  Kennedy brings over 35 years of print and online journalism experience, including positions as Managing Editor for Multimedia at washingtonpost.com and Director of Photography at the National Geographic Society.  He has created, directed, and edited visual journalism projects that have earned Pulitzer Prizes, as well as EMMY, Peabody, and Edward R. Murrow awards.

(Photo: http://photos.prnewswire.com/prnh/20120426/DC95615 )

Kennedy now teaches photo editing, including multimedia editing and storytelling, and visual journalism at the S.I. Newhouse School of Public Communications at Syracuse University. He also works as a multimedia consultant with assorted corporations and non-profits.  He will begin work at the NewsHour in June.

As Managing Editor/Digital News, Kennedy will be responsible for the NewsHour's online content strategy and the overall growth of the program's digital operation. It is an area where he has much experience.  At washingtonpost.com, Kennedy conceptualized and developed its multimedia section, and created the first documentary video team to produce stories for an American newspaper-based web site. 

"Tom is a great addition to the NewsHour team," said Linda Winslow, Executive Producer of PBS NewsHour.  "This job calls for a creative journalist with editorial and management skills, and Tom is that person.  I'm confident that not only will he ensure that all NewsHour-produced digital material – text, video, social media – meets the NewsHour's strict editorial standards, but that he will further develop multimedia skills and creativity throughout our staff."

Prior to joining washingtonpost.com, Kennedy was the Director of Photography at the National Geographic Society for ten years.  He directed the Photographic Division that produced all still photography for the Society, with the primary focus on National Geographic Magazine.  He also worked as Deputy Graphics Director at the Philadelphia Inquirer, where he directed two projects that earned Pulitzer Prizes for feature photography. Earlier in his career, he worked as a photojournalist at The Gainesville (FL) Sun and The Orlando (FL) Sentinel Star.

Kennedy has served on the Board of Advisors for The Knight Center for International Journalism within the School of Communication at the University of Miami, and on the Board of Visitors for the School of Journalism and Mass Communication at the University of North Carolina-Chapel Hill.  He has also been an advisor to visual journalism programs at the University of North Texas and University of Florida.  Kennedy graduated cum laude with a degree in journalism from the University of Florida.

PBS NEWSHOUR is seen by over 5 million weekly viewers and is also available online, via public radio in select markets and via podcast. The program is produced in association with WETA Washington, D.C., and WNET.org in New York. Major corporate funding for the PBS NEWSHOUR is provided by BNSF, CITI, and AT&T, with additional support from the Corporation for Public Broadcasting and public television viewers.

SOURCE PBS NEWSHOUR