Atlantic Media Announces Hiring of Kevin Baron as Editor of Defense One

WASHINGTON, May 20, 2013 /PRNewswire/ -- Atlantic Media announced today that award winning reporter Kevin Baron will join the company as Executive Editor of Defense One, its new digital-first media brand set to launch this summer.  Defense One will deliver high-quality news and analysis to defense leaders and stakeholders navigating the unprecedented transformation of U.S. defense strategy and operations.

"Kevin Baron is a rising star in defense media, and we are thrilled to have him leading Defense One," said Tim Hartman, president of Government Executive Media Group, the division of Atlantic Media responsible for launching Defense One.  "Kevin's innovative digital approach, deep expertise, and pursuit of journalistic excellence make him a perfect fit to lead Defense One's editorial team."

Baron, a two-time George Polk Award winner, comes to Atlantic Media from Foreign Policy where he served as a national security reporter and authored the E-Ring blog, covering the Pentagon, defense and national security.  A 15-year veteran of Washington's national security and foreign affairs scene, Baron's previous experience includes work as a national security staff writer for National Journal, a reporter in the daily Pentagon press corps with Stars and Stripes, and for five years as the investigative reporter for the Boston Globe's Washington bureau. Since 2008, Baron has covered the Pentagon, traveling overseas extensively with the secretary of defense and chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff covering official visits to Afghanistan and Iraq, the Middle East and Europe, China, Japan and South Korea, in more than a dozen countries.  Baron is vice president of the Pentagon Press Association.

The hiring of Kevin Baron comes just days after Justin Smith, President of Atlantic Media, officially unveiled the company's plans to launch a new media brand to address the defense and national security arena.  Defense One, through a mix of high quality digital and events offerings, will serve the entire national security leadership community by showcasing the ideas driving national security while delivering real-time news, breaking analysis, and hard-hitting journalism.  Defense One will meet an important need for these stakeholders, helping them to identify and understand the trends and ideas that will define the U.S. defense posture of the future.

"The defense and national security environment has become extraordinarily complex and subject to constant, rapid change," said Baron.  "Atlantic Media, with its commitment to high quality journalism and a digital pedigree, is the right media company to address the evolving needs of this community into the future.  I could not be more pleased to join this important venture."

Baron's early career began by investigating lucrative Iraq war contracts and global oil politics at the Center for Public Integrity.  He has reported on assignment from Asia, Africa, Australia, Europe, the Middle East and the South Pacific.

About Atlantic Media Company
ATLANTIC MEDIA COMPANY is a global media company with a diverse array of media brands and services aimed at an influential audience across all sectors—consumer, business, media, and government. Its properties engage audiences across multiple platforms—online, mobile, print, video, and live events. Atlantic Media Company has been recognized nationally as a leader in transforming all of its products into digital-first brands.

Media Inquiries:

Will Colston
Defense One
202-266-7423
[email protected]

SOURCE Atlantic Media