HuffPost names Danielle Belton of The Root as its new editor in chief
HuffPost has finally found its new editor in chief. Danielle Belton, the editor in chief of The Root, will take the helm of the publication that is now owned by BuzzFeed and which faced significant layoffs earlier this month.
BuzzFeed CEO Jonah Peretti announced the news in an email to staff on Wednesday.
“When I announced we were acquiring HuffPost in November, we began a robust and expansive search for an Editor-in-Chief to lead the newsroom and reinforce its standing as a top digital destination,” Peretti wrote. “Our priorities were to find a leader who had a clear and formidable long-term version for HuffPost, and would champion its urgent, compelling, and far-reaching journalism.”
Belton will be HuffPost’s third editor in chief since its founding in 2005. The publication’s co-founder and namesake Arianna Huffington served as editor in chief until she left in 2016. She was replaced by Lydia Polgreen, who left in March 2020 to join Gimlet Media.
Belton, who starts on April 12, will be taking charge after an exceptionally tumultuous period at HuffPost. Peretti made deep cuts to HuffPost’s staff earlier this month, just three weeks after it officially merged with BuzzFeed. Peretti, who helped found HuffPost, announced that 47 of the 190 HuffPost employees in the US would be laid off. BuzzFeed also shut down HuffPost Canada and Quebec, affecting 23 employees. Peretti attributed the layoffs to cutting costs, adding that HuffPost’s losses exceeded $20 million last year. Peretti said his goal is for HuffPost “to break even” this year.
The Daily Beast first reported the news of Belton’s hire.
Belton will report to Mark Schoofs, editor in chief of BuzzFeed News. She will be based in New York.
Peretti said in his memo that he is committed to “immediately increasing the representation of Black and Latinx employees in the HuffPost newsroom during our journey to profitability, and under her leadership we will pursue this from Day 1 to ensure we are representing and reaching the most diverse audience.”
