Six Former Washington Post Journalists Find New Home At ESPN

After sweeping layoffs gutted the Post’s sports desk, ESPN hires a half-dozen veteran reporters to bolster its investigative and enterprise coverage.

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After massive layoffs at The Washington Post, which included the firing of more than 300 people and a complete gutting of the sports department, six former Post journalists have found a new working home over at ESPN.

The reporters include enterprise reporter Kent Babb; basketball writer Kareen Copeland; investigative reporter Robert Klemko; sports writer Chuck Culpepper; Washington Commanders reporter Tom Schad; and sports business reporter Ben Strauss. Some of the writers were let go from the paper and Klemko was working for the national desk where he covered criminal justice.

“Adding these six outstanding journalists and the reputation of ‘The Washington Post’ will enhance an ESPN team that is already the best in the business,” said Jimmy Pitaro, chairman of ESPN, in a statement, Variety reports. “We are proud to advance our robust commitment to journalism, which is core to our mission of serving sports fans. Today’s news strengthens our position as the place to turn for the latest and most in-depth sports news, reporting and feature stories across every platform.”

The plan is to add the six new ESPN hires to a beat devoted to covering investigative, enterprise and digital journalism.

Variety notes that ESPN is one of several news outlets that have spent money adding Post staff to their organizations. The Baltimore Banner, a digital journalism outlet that covers Maryland’s biggest city, is looking to move into sports coverage.

Babb is expected to write sports content throughout ESPN. Copeland will cover women’s college basketball and the WNBA from the Midwest. “Culpepper will be able to cover a wide range of sports and events. Klemko will focus on sports‑related crime, investigations and major scandals. Schad will be a general assignment reporter who focuses on enterprise, quick-turn, investigative and data journalism for ESPN. Strauss will focus on sports business enterprise and investigative journalism for ESPN,” Variety reports.

All of the writers’ work will appear on all of ESPN’s platforms, which include: ESPN.com, the ESPN App, “SportsCenter,” and ESPN Audio podcasts.

Six Former Washington Post Journalists Find New Home At ESPN was originally published on cassiuslife.com