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Kevin Merida

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Kevin Merida
Merida in 2021
Born (1957-01-17) January 17, 1957 (age 67)
Wichita, Kansas, U.S.
EducationBoston University (BS)
University of California, Berkeley
Occupation(s)Executive editor, Los Angeles Times
Spouse
​
(m. 1992)​
Children3, including Darrell Britt-Gibson

Kevin Merida (born January 17, 1957[1]) is an American journalist and author. He formerly served as executive editor at the Los Angeles Times, where he oversaw and coordinated all news gathering operations, including city and national desks, Sports and Features departments, Times Community News and Los Angeles Times en Español.[2]

Prior to joining the Times, Merida was a ESPN senior VP and editor-in-chief. He supervised the creation and launch in May 2016 of The Undefeated (rebranded as "Andscape" in 2022). [3] A multimedia platform that explores the intersections of race, sports and culture, editor in chief Merida expanded The Undefeated brand across The Walt Disney Company, with a content portfolio encompassing journalism, documentaries and television specials, albums, music videos, live events, digital talk shows and two bestselling children’s books.[2][4]

During his tenure at ESPN, Merida oversaw the investigative/news enterprise unit, the television shows “E:60” and “Outside the Lines.” He chaired ESPN’s editorial board.

Early life and education

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Kevin Merida was born in Wichita, Kansas, and raised in the Washington, D.C., area.[5] He is the eldest of two children born to the late Jesse Merida, a geologist and paleontologist employed with the United States Geological Survey and Smithsonian Institution.[6] His mother, Doris, (née Ewell) worked as a communications specialist and FOIA officer for the National Science Foundation.

Merida attended Crossland High School, among the first group of children in the U.S. to be bused under a 1971 Supreme Court ruling.[7][8] He graduated from Boston University.[9] After graduating, he attended the University of California, Berkeley's "Summer Program for Minority Journalists."[8]

Career

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Merida's journalistic and research focus generally involves biographies about "difficult subjects," as described by the Houston Institute for Race & Justice.[10] He has covered biographical subjects like Strom Thurmond, Bob Dole, George W. Bush, and Newt Gingrich.[9]

Merida began his journalism career at the Milwaukee Journal.[5] He served as a general assignments reporter and rotating city desk editor from 1979 to 1983.

In 1983, Merida was recruited by the Dallas Morning News, where he initially worked as a special projects reporter and local political writer. He was later promoted to Washington-based national correspondent and White House correspondent covering the George H.W. Bush presidency. He concluded his tenure at the paper as assistant managing editor in charge of foreign and national news coverage. At those newspapers, he wrote about crime and society.[8]

The Washington Post

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He was hired by The Washington Post in 1993.[8] During his 22-year career at the paper, Merida served as a congressional correspondent, national political reporter, longform feature writer, magazine columnist and senior editor in several roles.[5][11] He was the coordinating editor of the Post’s yearlong 2006 series, “Being a Black Man," which was featured in the newspaper. The series earned a Peabody Award for increasing “our ability to understand the old issues in new ways,” and for its “melding of old and new forms of journalism and pointing to the future of electronic communication.”[12]

In 2008, Merida became Assistant Managing Editor at The Washington Post for the paper's United States national news department.[11] He led the national staff for four years during the Obama presidency. Merida co-authored 'Supreme Discomfort: The Divided Soul of Clarence Thomas, about Clarence Thomas, with Michael A. Fletcher.[13] He teamed with Deborah Willis in 2008 to co-author the bestselling hardcover photo book, Obama, the Historic Campaign in Photographs.[14]

He was named managing editor, "responsible for news and features coverage as well as the Universal News Desk," on February 4, 2013.[5] During his tenure in that position, he helped lead the newspaper to four Pulitzer Prizes. He was instrumental in revamping the Post’s digital presence, transforming the paper’s website into one of the world’s top-ranked online news journals.[15]

The Los Angeles Times

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After a six-month search, The Los Angeles Times announced on Monday, May 3, 2021 that it had selected Merida to be executive editor of the publication.[16] In January 2024, it was announced that Merida would step down from his role at The Los Angeles Times.[17]

Awards and board memberships

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Merida serves on the boards of the Pulitzer Prizes,[18] and the Boston University Board of Trustees.[19] In addition, he sits on the boards of the Kaiser Family Foundation,[20] the Maynard Institute for Journalism Education,[21] the Philip Merrill College of Journalism[22] and the Wallace House at the University of Michigan.[23]

In 2020, Merida was named to the Dean’s Advisory Council at the Gwen Ifill College of Media, Arts and Humanities, Simmons University.[24] Awards and honors

Merida was part of a 1990 Dallas Morning News team that was named a Pulitzer Prize finalist in explanatory journalism for a special report on the world’s “hidden wars.”[25]

Personal life

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Merida lives in Los Angeles with his wife, journalist, author and former Washington Post columnist Donna Britt. In 2012, The Huffington Post named the couple one of the "Black Voices Power Couples" of the year.[27] He has one son son with his wife and two stepsons from her previous marriage, including actor Darrell Britt-Gibson.[citation needed]

Bibliography

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  • Merida, Kevin. Being a Black Man: At the Corner of Progress and Peril. New York: Public Affairs (2007). ISBN 1586485229
  • Merida, Kevin and Deborah Willis. Obama: The Historic Campaign in Photographs. New York: Amistad (2008). ISBN 0061733091
  • Merida, Kevin and Michael Fletcher. Supreme Discomfort: The Divided Soul of Clarence Thomas. New York: Broadway (2008). ISBN 0767916360

References

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  1. ^ "Kevin Merida's Biography". The HistoryMakers.
  2. ^ a b "Kevin Merida – Executive Editor". Los Angeles Times. June 25, 2021.
  3. ^ Nwulu, Mac (October 19, 2015). "Kevin Merida Named Editor-in-Chief for "The Undefeated"– ESPN Site on Sports, Race and Culture". ESPN MediaZone. ESPN. Retrieved 2 September 2016.
  4. ^ "Children's book 'Andscape' wins Caldecott and two other awards". January 27, 2020.
  5. ^ a b c d Beaujon, Andrew. "Kevin Merida named managing editor of The Washington Post". Poynter MediaWire. Poynter Institute. Retrieved February 4, 2013.
  6. ^ Kevin Merida (2003-02-16). "Before Chocolate City". The Washington Post. Washington, D.C. ISSN 0190-8286. OCLC 1330888409.
  7. ^ Merida, Kevin (September 2, 1998). "Where That Bus Ride Took Me". The Washington Post. p. D01.
  8. ^ a b c d Weil, Martin (16 December 2008). "Merida Takes The Helm of The Post's National Staff". The Washington Post. Archived from the original on 5 April 2018. Retrieved 27 December 2012.(subscription required)
  9. ^ a b c d "Kevin Merida". Contemporary Authors. Archived from the original on 5 April 2018. Retrieved 27 December 2012.(subscription required)
  10. ^ "Home". Charles Hamilton Houston Institute for Race & Justice.
  11. ^ a b Calderone, Michael. "WaPo's Merida named AME / National". Washington Post. Politico. Retrieved 26 December 2012.
  12. ^ "Being a Black Man".
  13. ^ Patterson, Orlando (17 June 2007). "Thomas Agonistes". Sunday Book Review. The New York Times. Retrieved 27 December 2012.
  14. ^ "Obama: The Historic Campaign in Photographs". HarperCollins.
  15. ^ "Top 15 Most Popular News Websites | October 2021". www.ebizmba.com. 30 March 2024.
  16. ^ "ESPN's Kevin Merida named L.A. Times executive editor". Los Angeles Times. May 3, 2021.
  17. ^ "L.A. Times executive editor Kevin Merida to step down". Los Angeles Times. 2024-01-09. Retrieved 2024-01-09.
  18. ^ "Pulitzer Prize Board". www.pulitzer.org.
  19. ^ "Kevin Merida (COM '79) Joins BU Board of Trustees | College of Communication". www.bu.edu.
  20. ^ "Journalist Kevin Merida Elected to KFF Board of Trustees". April 4, 2017.
  21. ^ Staff, Maynard Institute (May 4, 2021). "Maynard Institute board member Kevin Merida named executive editor of the L.A. Times". Maynard Institute (MIJE).
  22. ^ "Board of Visitors | Philip Merrill College of Journalism". merrill.umd.edu.
  23. ^ "Kevin Merida".
  24. ^ "University Advisory Council | Simmons University". www.simmons.edu.
  25. ^ "Merida, Kevin | Encyclopedia.com". www.encyclopedia.com.
  26. ^ "Finalist: Staff of The Dallas Morning News". The Pulitzer Prizes. Columbia University. Retrieved May 3, 2021.
  27. ^ a b Williams, Brennan (17 November 2012). "Couple Of The Year Countdown: Donna Britt and Kevin Merida". Black Voices. The Huffington Post. Retrieved 26 December 2012.
  28. ^ "Distinguished Alumni | College of Communication". www.bu.edu.
  29. ^ "8 to Receive the Missouri Honor Medal for Distinguished Service in Journalism – Missouri School of Journalism". 20 June 2018.
  30. ^ "NABJ Virtual Awards to Stream December 19". National Association of Black Journalists. October 30, 2020.
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