The Thomson Reuters Foundation has appointed Yasir Khan as Editor-in-Chief to lead its team of award-winning reporters and oversee the digital transformation of its news offering.
Khan will join the Foundation from Euronews, where he is currently Editor-in-Chief of Digital Platforms. With more than 20 years of journalism experience across a raft of major international news outlets including Al Jazeera, CBC, CNN and National Geographic, Khan will bring extensive first-hand experience from working across a range of media, including print, video and audio. He will lead the Foundation’s team of 45 journalists and around 300 freelancers who report on the ground from more than 70 countries on the latest challenges affecting human rights and freedoms.
Antonio Zappulla, CEO of the Thomson Reuters Foundation, said: “I am delighted to welcome Yasir to the team. His experience and expertise will strengthen our coverage and our reach. We have a legacy of award-winning journalism on issues that have historically been under-reported, which has led to global impact. Through Yasir’s editorship, we will foster even stronger engagement with a committed readership of purpose-driven professionals.”
“I am really looking forward to working with some of the best in the business,” said Yasir Khan. “I have always admired the Foundation’s deeply-reported journalism, and the sense of mission that drives it. It’s what our world needs right now, more than ever – journalism that informs, engages, and empowers audiences.”
Khan takes up his role on July 20. His appointment is the latest in a series of new hires that have seen the Foundation’s news coverage positioned more strategically to appeal to its core audiences and reflect the breadth of the organisation’s areas of focus.
Most recently, the Foundation has expanded its news and digital teams. With funding from the Skoll Foundation, it has appointed a London-based Inclusive Economies Editor who oversees coverage of socio-economic inclusion, responsible business, and new economic models. It has also appointed a Europe Correspondent based in Brussels, a US Correspondent based in Washington DC and boosted its presence in the Middle East by hiring two correspondents based in Lebanon. The Foundation’s digital rights correspondent will also be relocating to California.
Recent additional funding lead to expanded coverage on issues including Artificial Intelligence and discrimination, the intersection of finance and biodiversity and the impact of financial flows on ecosystems, cities around the world that are leading a global shift towards a greener, low-carbon and more inclusive society, and a series focused on the role of social entrepreneurs in ‘building back better’ post-Covid.
Khan will take over from outgoing Editor-in-Chief Belinda Goldsmith.
