PRI names David Beard of Washington Post as first executive editor of PRI.org

MINNEAPOLIS, Nov. 18, 2014 /PRNewswire-USNewswire/ -- PRI (Public Radio International) has hired David Beard of the Washington Post to run its fast-growing global news, issues and culture website. Beard, the Post's director of digital content, will be the first executive editor of PRI.org — a site powered by the newsroom that produces the award-winning, daily radio show PRI's The World^®. PRI.org also features stories from PRI shows like The Takeaway, Studio 360, Living on Earth, Science Friday and The Tavis Smiley Show.

Beard will lead a 10-person digital journalism team to accelerate growth and deepen audience engagement on the site. Grants from the Knight, Carnegie, Ford, Skoll and Gates foundations will enable PRI to test new ways to engage young adults in issues ranging from international security to entrepreneurship, immigration to gender inequality. PRI.org's audience has more than doubled to a million monthly visitors since it was re-launched a year ago. Half of its audience is under age 35.

"PRI.org is bringing its smart take on global news and trends to an audience that is young and passionate about making the world a better place," says Beard. "Building from the powerful storytelling of The World and PRI's other shows, we'll invite people to bring their experiences, networks and actions into our coverage. This is an extraordinary chance to connect people across the globe on issues and events that affect us all."

"We've been looking for someone like David to propel our growth as a digital media company," says Michael Skoler, PRI.org's general manager and PRI's vice president for interactive media. "David is a rare leader, who has worked both in the trenches as a foreign correspondent and editor and as a creative strategist leading digital change and audience growth for leading news organizations."

Before joining the Post, Beard was the deputy editor-in-chief of National Journal, editor of Boston.com and assistant managing editor of the Boston Globe. He worked as a foreign correspondent for The Associated Press in Latin America and the Caribbean. He is a former digital journalism instructor at the Harvard Extension School, scholar for the Inter American Press Association and a graduate of Northwestern University's Medill School of Journalism.

About PRI:
Public Radio International (PRI) is a global non-profit media company focused on the intersection of journalism and engagement to affect positive change in people's lives.  We create a more informed, empathetic and connected world by sharing powerful stories, encouraging exploration, connecting people and cultures, and creating opportunities to help people take informed action on stories that inspire them.  Its mission is to serve audiences as a distinctive content source for information, insights and cultural experiences essential to living in our diverse, interconnected world.  Founded in 1983, PRI audio, text and visual content is currently consumed by almost 19 million people each month.

PRI executes a comprehensive effort of content development, partnership collaboration, distribution initiatives and audience engagement activities each year.  With our roots in public media, PRI is extending its impact through web, mobile and social media platforms.  Its products include national radio programs such as PRI's The World®, Boston Calling, The Takeaway, and Studio 360®; the website PRI.org; podcasts such as World in Words and Sideshow; and story initiatives such as Across Women's Lives (documenting the power of women to improve their communities), Global Nation (revealing America's changing population and issues facing its growing immigrant population), and Safemode (examining international security through the eyes of millennials).

CONTACT: Julia Yager, PRI, 612.330.9231, [email protected]

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