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Ben Collins (reporter)

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Ben Collins
Collins in 2022
EducationEmerson College (BS)
OccupationJournalist
AwardsWalter Cronkite Award for Excellence in Television Political Journalism

Ben Collins is an American businessman and journalist from Massachusetts. He was a former reporter for the news division of the National Broadcasting Company (NBC), and became the CEO of the media company Global Tetrahedron, which owns The Onion, in 2024.[1][2]

Early life and education

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Collins is from the U.S. state of Massachusetts. His mother is a librarian.[3][4] He attended Emerson College between 2006 and 2010.[3] While enrolled at Emerson, he was a music columnist for The Berkeley Beacon, the college's student newspaper.[1][3] During college, he was a roommate of Chris Hurst, with whom he co-hosted a radio show as an undergraduate.[1][5]

Professional career

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Early career and Esquire

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Following his graduation from Emerson, Collins began his career at Slam before performing social media work for Hulu.[3] Following his time at Hulu, Collins became a news editor of Esquire in 2013,[3][6] where he remained for a year until he was hired by The Daily Beast.[3]

The Daily Beast

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Between 2014 and 2018, Collins worked in various roles for The Daily Beast as a senior news editor and technology reporter.[1][4] While Collins was employed at The Daily Beast, Hurst's girlfriend Alison Parker was shot and killed on live television.[5] Though Collins had not met Parker,[5] the incident and its aftermath deeply affected him; he decided to pursue reporting about online conspiracy theories and the far right after that.[1][3]

At The Daily Beast, Collins frequently reported alongside researcher Brandy Zadrozny, who had joined the publication in 2013.[4] When offered an opportunity to work at NBC News in March 2018, Collins accepted it on the condition that he would be allowed to bring Zadrozny along to join him.[1]

NBC News

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In 2018, Collins and Zadrozny departed The Daily Beast to join NBC News.[1][4] Collins has received special recognition from the 2023 Walter Cronkite Awards for Excellence in Television Political Journalism.[7][8]

In December 2022, following controversial comments Collins made on social media that NBC says ran afoul of its social media standards, NBC temporarily suspended Collins from covering Elon Musk and Twitter.[9][10]

Global Tetrahedron

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In April 2024, Collins was announced as the CEO of Global Tetrahedron, a company that has purchased the satirical website The Onion. Its name is a reference to a fictional company described in Onion publications.[2] The purchase originated from a post by Collins on Bluesky after news broke that then-owner G/O was looking to offload the magazine among other titles.[11][12]

References

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  1. ^ a b c d e f g Renzi, Erin (February 13, 2020). "Emerson alum Ben Collins finds success covering dystopian beat". The Berkeley Beacon. Archived from the original on April 29, 2023. Retrieved April 29, 2023.
  2. ^ a b Robertson, Katie (April 25, 2024). "The Onion Is Sold by G/O Media". The New York Times.
  3. ^ a b c d e f g Athey, Amber (January 14, 2023). "Who is NBC News's Ben Collins?". The Spectator. Archived from the original on April 29, 2023. Retrieved April 29, 2023.
  4. ^ a b c d Beard, David (March 4, 2018). "Librarian-turned-journalist rises; she helped us be this giant scoop factory". Poynter Institute. Archived from the original on April 11, 2021. Retrieved April 29, 2023.
  5. ^ a b c Gans, Felicia (August 26, 2015). "Slain newswoman's boyfriend went to Emerson College". The Boston Globe. Archived from the original on April 29, 2023. Retrieved April 29, 2023.
  6. ^ Barr, Jeremy (September 3, 2014). "Esquire apologizes to ESPN for piece on domestic violence". Politico. Archived from the original on April 29, 2023. Retrieved April 29, 2023.
  7. ^ Cruger, Roberta (April 19, 2023). "With Disinformation Everywhere All at Once, Excellent Journalism Matters Even More: 2023 Walter Cronkite Award Winners Investigate Untruths and Consequences" (PDF) (Press release). USC Annenberg Norman Lear Center and Annenberg Public Policy Center.
  8. ^ Athey, Amber (April 19, 2023). "Are the Walter Cronkite journalism awards for real?". The Spectator. Archived from the original on April 29, 2023. Retrieved April 29, 2023.
  9. ^ Steinberg, Brian (December 16, 2022). "NBC News Pulled Reporter Ben Collins Off Twitter Coverage Earlier This Month". Variety. Archived from the original on June 2, 2023. Retrieved June 25, 2023.
  10. ^ Johnson, Ted (December 16, 2022). "NBC News Pulled Reporter Earlier This Month From Elon Musk/Twitter Coverage". Deadline Hollywood. Archived from the original on June 25, 2023. Retrieved June 25, 2023.
  11. ^ "Inside the sale of The Onion, and what comes next".
  12. ^ VISRAM, TALIB (May 17, 2024). "The new CEO of 'The Onion' is bringing back 'the good internet.' Here's how". Fast Company. Retrieved May 26, 2024.
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