New York Times reporter Tanzina Vega will join CNN Politics to cover the intersection of technology, politics and civil rights, according to a Friday staff memo from CNN Politics Executive Editor Rachel Smolkin.
Vega, who will report from CNN’s New York office, will examine the ways that 2016 campaigns are using “technology, the evolution of micro targeting and new twists in voter registration,” according to the memo:
She’ll build on the work that she has done so well at the Times, including her smart coverage of race and ethnicity. This is an important area where we will distinguish ourselves going into 2016.
In January, The New York Times moved Vega from the national race beat to covering the Bronx courthouse, prompting several journalists and media watchers to speculate about the future of race coverage at The New York Times. Margaret Sullivan, the public editor of The New York Times, questioned the wisdom of the reassignment in a column, noting it was an “odd time to discontinue the one Times beat devoted solely to race and ethnicity.”
Here’s the memo:
All,
I’m thrilled to announce that Tanzina Vega will join CNN Politics as a digital correspondent.
Tanzina, a reporter at The New York Times, will focus on the intersection of technology and politics. She’ll look at innovative ways the 2016 campaigns are using technology, the evolution of micro targeting and new twists in voter registration. She’ll also mine the blending of technology and politics beyond the beltway, from grassroots movements to civil rights to hashtag activism on social media.
She’ll build on the work that she has done so well at the Times, including her smart coverage of race and ethnicity. This is an important area where we will distinguish ourselves going into 2016. As previously announced, Nia-Malika Henderson joins us April 6 as a national political reporter focusing on identity politics, and we’re excited for the collaboration between these rock-star reporters.
Tanzina will be based in our New York office — along with the fabulous duo of Ashley Codianni and MJ Lee — and will be looking for opportunities to partner with our friends in CNNMoney as well.
She’ll start April 20. Please join me in giving her a warm welcome to CNN.
Rachel
