The Poynter Institute Names Neil Brown as its President

ST. PETERSBURG, Fla., Aug. 28, 2017 /PRNewswire-USNewswire/ -- The Poynter Institute, a global leader in journalism, announced today that its next president will be Neil Brown, one of the most accomplished leaders in American journalism.

"I am honored to join Poynter, where imagination and integrity have been hallmarks in helping journalists get better at what they do and stay relevant in how they do it," Brown said. "In these exciting, unsettling and complicated times, Poynter's leadership and creativity are needed more than ever.  I'm grateful for the chance to work with great professionals who are making a difference to journalism – and our democracy – every day."

After graduating from the University of Iowa, Brown began his career at the Miami Herald, moved to Congressional Quarterly in Washington, D.C., and then joined the (then-St. Petersburg) Times.  He started as world editor in 1993 and then assumed a series of leadership roles, including managing editor and executive editor.  Brown became the paper's editor in 2010. Under Brown's leadership, the Times has won six Pulitzer Prizes in the last eight years.  One of those prizes was for PolitiFact, the first digital project to receive journalism's highest honor.  With Brown as its patron, PolitiFact has been replicated nationally and inspired similar efforts worldwide.  The headquarters of the International Fact-Checking Network now resides at The Poynter Institute.

Widely regarded as an innovator and deft editor of investigations and special projects, Brown will now lead Poynter, the world-renowned center for journalism education and thought leadership, and owner of the Times.

"From more than 100 candidates, Neil emerged as the leader who will help Poynter build upon its success as a place that improves journalism and strengthens democracy, both across the United States and around the world," said Paul Tash, chairman of Poynter's board of trustees.  "That purpose has never been more essential."

Brown, 59, is a member of the Pulitzer Prize Board and a former board member of the American Society of News Editors.  Following prior practice, Brown will remain a director of the Times Publishing Company; he will also serve on the board's executive committee.  He takes the helm at Poynter in mid-September.

About The Poynter Institute
The Poynter Institute for Media Studies is a global leader in journalism education and a strategy center that stands for uncompromising excellence in journalism, media, and 21^st century public discourse.  Poynter faculty teach seminars and workshops at the Institute in St. Petersburg, Florida, and at conferences and organizational sites around the world.  Its e-learning division, News University, www.newsu.org, offers the world's largest online journalism curriculum in seven languages – it includes more than 300 interactive courses and has registered users in 200 countries.  The Institute's website, www.poynter.org, produces 24-hour coverage of news about media, ethics, technology, the business of news, and the trends that define journalism.  The world's top journalists and media innovators come to Poynter to learn and teach new generations of reporters, storytellers, media inventors, visual journalists, documentarians, and broadcasters.  They build public awareness about journalism, media, the First Amendment and protected discourse that serves democracy and the public good.  The Institute, which was established by Nelson Poynter in 1975, owns the Tampa Bay Times, widely considered one of the Top Ten newspapers in America.

Contact: Tina Dyakon
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The Poynter Institute
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727-553-4343

SOURCE Poynter