The New York Times announces new roles on Express for Will Lamb and Justin Swanson

Will Lamb is stepping into a new role as a deputy editor, helping drive the team’s mission and advance major storylines while continuing to work closely with reporters on the delightful features and trending stories that are our hallmark. Justin Swanson, a longtime Times editor who most recently worked on Politics, is joining the desk and will helm our night operation. 

Will is a veteran editor with excellent news judgment who keeps a steady head as news is unfolding. He is trusted across the newsroom and has a long track record of developing early-career journalists.

“Will is both patient and persistent and is able to draw the best work possible from reporters,” Peter Khoury, an Express deputy, said. “He can turn a turgid story into a highly readable one and can elevate a good piece to make it brilliant.”

Will started at The Times in 2019 as a floating editor on Flex, working with teams across the newsroom, including Health and Science, National, International, Business, Culture and Graphics. On Express, he was the daytime news editor before turning his focus to shepherding our best feature writing.

Before The Times, Will was an editor at The Record of Bergen County, N.J., where he directed coverage of breaking news, immigration and health care. He got his start in the suburban correspondent program at The Philadelphia Inquirer before moving on to reporting roles at The St. Louis Post-Dispatch, where he developed an appreciation for Budweiser and toasted ravioli. He is also a former senior editor of Dwell magazine.

Justin will bring sure hands to the nightside role in New York and will be a key bridge to the breaking news hub in Seoul. He started at The Times in 2007 and spent nearly a decade on the Business copy desk, weathering deadline-testing crises and bankruptcies. He worked as an assistant news editor on the Print Hub for two years, and again as an editor on Business,  before joining Politics as night editor.

“Justin is the kind of night editor any busy news desk needs: a deft pair of hands, a quick study, an imperturbable personality, a beacon of friendliness and a buoy of aplomb no matter the pressure or volume of incoming,” David Halbfinger, the Politics editor before returning to Israel as bureau chief, said. “He’s a headline wordsmith and a devoted steward of Times standards and professionalism.”

Before The Times, Justin was an editor at The Courier-Journal in Louisville.

Please congratulate Will and Justin.

– Melissa