Dear everyone,

I’m writing this morning with excellent news. Two of journalism’s most esteemed talents are joining The Atlantic as staff writers: Jamie Thompson and Josh Tyrangiel. It should go without saying, but I’ll say it anyway: This is a big day for our magazine and our ambitions.  

I’ll introduce them in alphabetical order, though for most of you, Jamie, who is already a contributing writer, needs no introduction: her brilliant cover story for us, “To Stop a Shooter,” was the recipient of this year’s National Magazine Award for Reporting. (In her second article for us, an equally ambitious and accomplished piece of reporting, Jamie embedded with the Prince George’s County Police Department’s carjacking unit.) Jamie’s brave, adventurous and savvy reporting, her embrace of society’s deepest complexities, and her ability to write about the most challenging characters and morally vexing issues with depth and fairness, make her a perfect fit for the staff of The Atlantic. Even before winning one of the prestigious prizes in journalism, Jamie was already known as one of the best writers on criminal justice issues in America. She is the author of Standoff: Race, Policing, and a Deadly Assault That Gripped a Nation, which grew out of a story she wrote for the Dallas Morning News, which won the Edward R. Murrow Award for Excellence in Writing.

Jamie began her career as a newspaper reporter in South Carolina and Florida (where she was part of a legendary crew at The Tampa Bay Times), before transitioning to writing magazine features; in addition to her work for us, she has written for, among other places, Texas Monthly, D Magazine, Politico, The Washington Post, and The New York Times Magazine. She has also been an associate professor of journalism at the University of Dallas. She will be working out of the Wharf, and her first day on staff with us is May 5.

Now, onto Josh, who is new to The Atlantic (his first piece for us, about the return of Anthony Weiner, is up on the site this morning), but he is certainly among the most esteemed and well-known journalists in our country. Josh is a person of immense talent and range, and across his legendary career, he has led extraordinary journalism organizations through extraordinary times. Josh is joining us to write mainly at the intersection of technology, AI and government policy, though (as you will see in the Weiner piece) he can write fluidly, and wittily, about most anything.

Josh is the former editor of Bloomberg Businessweek and served as the chief content officer for Bloomberg Media, where he oversaw media operations across five continents. He is widely, and appropriately, credited for reinventing Businessweek. He created Vice News Tonight on HBO and has produced feature-length documentaries for HBO, Netflix, and Apple TV+. He served as executive producer (alongside Oprah Winfrey) of ABC’s AI and the Future of Us, and he has won 12 Emmys and Peabody Awards for his work. Josh began his career at Vibe Magazine, and then went on to fruitful employment at Time Magazine.

Most recently, Josh wrote a regular column for The Washington Post focused on AI. He continues to produce documentaries and is currently writing a book for Simon & Schuster about ways in which AI can be used for the common good. He will be based at Prince Street, and he will start on our staff this summer.

This is a good day for The Atlantic. Please join me in welcoming Jamie and Josh to our team.

Best wishes,
Jeff