WAMU expands investment in local journalism, names Naomi Starobin managing director of news
WAMU named Naomi Starobin managing director of WAMU News, a new position “created as part of the organization’s sweeping multi-phased investment in local journalism that is redefining what public media looks like in the D.C. region,” states WAMU.
Starobin will lead WAMU’s daily and enterprise audio journalism and storytelling, including audience favorites: WAMU Mornings, The Politics Hour, Hot Jazz Saturday Night, and The Big Broadcast. A veteran public media journalist, she joined WAMU in 2020 and most recently served as managing editor, audio news. In addition to teaching audio journalism at Columbia University’s Graduate School of Journalism, Starobin previously held positions at WHYY in Philadelphia and WSHU in Connecticut.
“Naomi has been at the center of every major editorial decision we’ve made over the last two years,” said Michael Tribble, WAMU chief content officer. “She knows how to find the human behind the headlines and filter the noise from what matters to our community. That’s harder than it sounds in the Washington region, where there’s no shortage of either. This role exists because we’re serious about what comes next — and she’s the right person to lead it.”
Tribble also announced the creation of new positions, including a role for managing director of emerging news products and initiatives (ENPI), to round out his leadership team. The managing director of ENPI will head a team of experts and innovators “to deepen the organization’s commitment to audio excellence and multi-platform storytelling. Through experimentation and innovation, this team will develop and incubate new approaches to podcasts, on-demand audio, video, newsletters, and live events, giving audiences in the D.C. region more ways to access the essential local news and community storytelling that WAMU has been trusted and known for 65 years. The resulting investment is a 20% increase in journalists and storytellers at WAMU,” states WAMU.
