Kevin Merida Becomes First Black Managing Editor Of ‘The Washington Post’

The Washington Post has announced that veteran journalist Kevin Merida will become managing editor of the newspaper, making him the first African American to occupy the position.

Merida was previously the national editor for the paper and, according to a press release by the Post, led the coverage of the “the BP oil spill, the killing of Osama bin Laden, the 2012 presidential campaign, the Ft. Hood, Aurora and Newtown shootings,” and many other news events that captivated the nation.

Marty Baron, executive editor for The WashingtonPost, said in a statement:

“Kevin is a journalist of remarkable accomplishment, with a record of strong leadership. During his 20 years at The Post, he has covered Congress and presidential campaigns, as well as stories that called upon his great strengths as a long-form feature writer. He has cultivated a talented staff on the National desk, and he has won the admiration and affection of his colleagues. I’m delighted to have him leading coverage across the entire newsroom.”

In an email to staffers, Baron said that Merida would be responsible for news and features coverage, as well as the Universal News Desk. He also commended Merida for being a “warm and caring colleague” in addition to being a “journalist of remarkable achievement.”

Kevin Merida was born in Wichita, Kansas, but raised in Washington, D.C. He graduated with a degree in journalism from Boston University in 1979 and attended the University of California, Berkeley’s “Summer Program for Minority Journalists” after he matriculated. Prior to joining the The Washington Post, Merida worked as a reporter at the Dallas Morning News and the Milwaukee Journal. He is the co-author of Supreme Discomfort: The Divided Soul of Clarence Thomas and Obama: The Historic Campaign in Photographs.

Congratulations to Kevin Merida on his new role.

[Image credit: Matthew Worden]