Dashiell Bennett Named Editor of The Wire
Washington, D.C. (June 5, 2014) – Dashiell Bennett is the new editor of The Wire, The Atlantic news site that tracks “what matters now” in politics, business, technology, and entertainment. Bennett has written for The Wire since October 2011 and has served as news editor since September 2013. As editor, he will be charged with continuing The Wire’s growth in traffic and impact, and enhancing its reputation for the most innovative forms of digital news-gathering and storytelling.
“We looked long and hard for the best person to run The Wire,” said The Atlantic’s presidents, James Bennet and Bob Cohn. “In the end, Dash combined the deepest understanding of the core mission of the site with the clearest vision for its possibilities. And while our search was underway, he demonstrated his leadership ability by helping our writers steadily sharpen their work and continue to grow their audience.”
Bennett began freelancing for The Wire in October 2011, and joined the full-time staff as a writer in January 2013. Previously, he was a senior editor for Deadspin and Business Insider, and he has been a writer, editor, and contributor to Gawker, The Onion, and Slate, among other online publications.
“I’m very honored and excited to be given the opportunity to lead The Wire into the next phase of its development,” said Bennett. “We have an extremely talented and energetic group of writers and editors on board, and I’m proud of the site we’re building together. We’re poised to produce even greater work and reach even more people in the months to come.”
The Wire’s sharp writing and wit, combined with its sophistication about how news is filtered through social networks, have earned it recognition from a growing audience, averaging 5.4 million unique visitors over the past three months. In the coming weeks, The Wire will offer extensive coverage of two very different contests: the World Cup and the fall 2014 primaries and midterm elections. The site’s Media Diet series, which tracks the information consumption of newsmakers, has recently featured interviews with everyone from best-selling author Jackie Collins to late night host John Oliver to Marie Claire creative director Nina Garcia. And during this golden age of TV, The Wire dishes on the best of the small screen in its Sunday TV Rewind, and by diving into the madness of TV Upfronts.
The Wire has added four staff writers this year: Adam Chandler, covering politics and culture; Arit John, covering politics and national security; Polly Mosendz, covering technology and business; and David Sims, who covers television and movies and reports to The Wire’s culture maven, Entertainment Editor Joe Reid. The site is recruiting for four positions: the news editor slot vacated by Bennett; a politics editor; social media editor; and politics writer.
Andrew Golis, the general manager of The Wire, will continue to lead recruitment and oversee the site’s strategy and business.
“The Wire’s young, sophisticated audience values our ability to be fast, smart, serious, and fun. And Dash is the perfect leader to keep the site’s momentum going, and grow our brilliant team of writers,” said Golis.
The Wire debuted in September 2009 (then, as The Atlantic Wire), rebranding and upgrading to a responsive design in November 2013. As Wire readers increasingly gravitate towards mobile, the site offers an optimal reading and navigation experience across devices. The Wire’s free app for the iPhone and iPad surfaces the top news from the site and the best columns of the day.