WaPo adds Kelley Benham French as first narrative accountability editor
Kelley Benham French is joining The Washington Post’s investigations unit as its first narrative accountability editor.
In her new role, states The Post, “Kelley will oversee a team with the mission of harnessing immersive reporting, rigorous investigative work and exceptional writing to produce stories that hold powerful forces to account on matters of urgent national interest. Kelley, a natural teacher, is also eager to be a resource for journalists across the newsroom as a coach, mentor, sounding board and collaborator.
“Kelley comes to us after most recently serving as senior editor for storytelling at The Dallas Morning News … (and she also has served) as a professor of practice in journalism in the Media School at Indiana University, where she helped build a talent pipeline over the last decade that infused The Post with distinctive voices such as Jess Contrera, Sam Schmidt, Danielle Paquette, Katie Mettler and Taylor Telford, among others.”
She previously worked for three years as senior editor for narrative and special projects at USA TODAY, anchored in the investigative team. Prior to USA TODAY, she edited narrative and investigative projects on contract with The Oregonian, The Cleveland Plain Dealer, The Tampa Bay Times and other outlets.
She is an alum of the Philip Merrill College of Journalism at the University of Maryland and has taught narrative journalism in six countries and 14 states and frequently speaks at medical and nursing conferences on subjects related to extreme prematurity.
More here.
