WAMU 88.5, Washington’s NPR news station has announced a multiyear plan to reshape its news division to provide more in-depth, local news coverage. The upgrade includes the addition of eight new full-time news positions.
“We are creating a collaborative news division to not only tell more stories, but to tell the stories that will have an impact and serve the needs of our community better,” said Monna Kashfi, Chief Content Officer. “We want to elevate voices that are often ignored in local news coverage and engage with under-served communities across the region. That commitment will be reflected in all of our coverage — from politics, to arts and culture, to criminal justice and the immigrant experience. We also will be better positioned to report on breaking news and updates as they happen.”
WAMU and the station-owned website, DCist, are refocusing efforts on existing areas of coverage. Those areas include: the business and development beat; prioritizing coverage of housing issues and continuation of offering stories of economic recovery and impact on small businesses in the post-pandemic future.
