Lauren Williams (journalist) facts for kids
Lauren Williams is an American journalist who helps share important news and stories. She used to work as an editor at well-known news websites like The Root and Mother Jones. In 2014, she joined Vox, a popular news organization. She left Vox in 2021 after being its top editor. Now, Lauren is a co-founder of Capital B, a special news group that helps Black Americans get important news.
Lauren's Career Journey
Lauren Williams started her career in journalism by joining The Root in 2010. At The Root, she began as an associate editor. This means she helped choose and prepare stories for the website. In 2011, she was promoted to deputy editor, taking on more responsibilities. She worked in this role for about two and a half years.
After The Root, Lauren worked as a story editor at Mother Jones. Here, she continued to help shape news stories before they were published. Her experience at these places prepared her for her next big role.
Leading the News at Vox
In 2014, Lauren joined Vox as a managing editor. Vox is a news website known for explaining complex topics clearly. She joined just two months after Vox first started. As managing editor, she helped run the daily news operations.
Lauren's hard work led to several promotions. In 2017, she became an executive editor. This meant she had a bigger role in guiding the news content. Just nine months later, she was promoted again to editor-in-chief. This is the highest editorial position at a news organization. She also became a senior vice president. In this role, she was in charge of all of Vox.com's news content and its business side. She also oversaw their YouTube channel, many podcasts, and TV shows.
Starting Capital B
Lauren Williams left Vox in February 2021. She wanted to create a new news platform called Capital B. She started this project with Akoto Ofori-Atta. They had met back in 2010 while working at The Root.
Capital B is a special news organization focused on Black Americans. Lauren described it as a "first-of-its kind" group. It combines national news with local news. This means it covers big stories happening across the country and also important news in specific cities. Capital B is a nonprofit organization. This means it uses its money to support its mission, not to make a profit for owners.
Lauren is the CEO (Chief Executive Officer) of Capital B. Akoto Ofori-Atta is the executive editor. Capital B officially launched in January 2022. It started with about $9.4 million in funding to help it get going. The organization has a website for national news. It also has a local news office in Atlanta, Georgia, to cover news specific to that area.
