Yahoo News hires David Chalian as Washington bureau chief

The Cutline

David Chalian, currently the political editor at "PBS Newshour," will become the Washington bureau chief of Yahoo News later this month.

The move is part of Yahoo's renewed focus on original content and political coverage of the 2012 presidential election. Chalian will start on Nov. 14 and report to Will Tacy, the executive editor of Yahoo News.

"We intend to redefine how political campaigns are covered and deliver more of the investigative coverage our users demand," Tacy said.

Chalian was hired as NewsHour's political editor in 2010, when the program won the Walter Cronkite Award for excellence in political journalism for its coverage of the midterm elections. He served as political director at ABC News between 2007 and 2010, winning an Emmy for his role in producing ABC's coverage of President Obama's inauguration.

"Political content is consumed like no other news in the digital space," Chalian told The Cutline. "With Yahoo doubling down on its content, matching that commitment to Yahoo's massive reach is an unparalleled opportunity to deliver high impact, high quality storytelling in what is shaping up to be a really consequential presidential election."

Yahoo's news division already has a presence in Washington, with two of The Cutline's sister sites--The Ticket and The Envoy--based there. And Yahoo will stream an ABC News Republican primetime debate live from New Hampshire next year, part of Yahoo's ongoing partnership with the network.

Last month, Hillary Frey was hired from Adweek to become managing editor of Yahoo News, part of an effort to grow Yahoo's East Coast news operation and its original reporting sites. Yahoo also recently hired Guy Vidra, the former head of business development and emerging media on the interactive side of the Washington Post, as head of strategy and development. Vidra will help manage new initiatives, including Yahoo's partnership with ABC News.

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