As the number one news podcast, “The Daily” depends upon a sterling team of editors. I’m thrilled to say our team just got even stronger, with two high-powered additions. Chris Haxel and Maria Byrne have now joined the show as an editor and senior editor, respectively. If you haven’t crossed paths with them, you may soon. They’re already in the mix, working collaboratively throughout the newsroom — bringing New York Times reporting to life through vibrant audio, contributing to the vision for our coverage, fostering audio-first ideas and leading episode teams in the making of the program.
Chris Haxel comes to us from APM Reports. Before that, he worked at NPR, where he was part of the investigations team.
It was with NPR that Chris won a Pulitzer for a series he reported and hosted, “No Compromise,” which delved into the world of gun rights activism. He was central to the tight-knit collaborative group that created, structured and shaped that series. Chris was also the lead producer on NPR’s series “Taking Cover” — an investigation into, and intimate look at, a deadly friendly fire incident.
Prior to that Chris was a reporter in radio and print — including at KCUR in Kansas City, and The Lansing State Journal. Before he found his path in journalism, Chris was in the Army — where he studied Russian and, by his account, “got paid to jump out of perfectly good airplanes.”
Maria Byrne joins the team after serving as supervising editor at “The Journal,” The Wall Street Journal’s daily news podcast. During her time there, she edited daily episodes with a focus on international news. She’s also edited series, including one on how OpenAI built one of the world’s most viral tech products and a recent series that looked into the sudden disappearance last year of China’s former foreign minister Qin Gang.
Maria’s chapter at “The Journal” is only the latest one in her career, which spans nearly 20 years as an audio journalist. She got her start as a producer at the BBC, where she worked on the news desk and began traveling to cover national and international stories. She went on to build an inspiring and decorated career there — serving as a senior producer in London, Washington, Beijing and Brussels. During that time she pitched, produced and hosted narrative podcasts, covered breaking news and, at times, stepped in as acting bureau chief. She covered stories ranging from Detroit’s bankruptcy to the Hong Kong protests.
Please join us in welcoming both Chris and Maria, and look to see them involved as we continue our work collaborating throughout the newsroom.
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