Jonathan Riskind, a veteran political reporter and editor, has been named the Washington bureau chief for MaineToday Media Inc.
As the newspaper’s Washington-based reporter, Riskind will write stories for all MaineToday Media publications, which include The Portland Press Herald, the Maine Sunday Telegram, the Kennebec Journal, the Morning Sentinel and the weekly Coastal Journal in Bath.
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Riskind, 47, has been the Washington bureau chief for the Columbus (Ohio) Dispatch since 2000.
“My hope is that I can keep Mainers well-informed about what their representatives in Washington are working on,” Riskind said.
Riskind becomes MaineToday Media’s first full-time journalist to be based in Washington.
“Riskind’s hiring marks our continued effort to boost our coverage of government locally, statewide, and now nationally,” said Richard L. Connor, CEO of MaineToday Media.
Connor cited the numerous awards that Riskind has received for his coverage of Ohio politics and issues. But he also noted that Riskind has embraced technology and online news, using platforms such as Twitter and Facebook to connect with readers.
“Riskind represents the new breed of journalists who use social media as a platform that parallels and augments print,” Connor said.
Riskind has worked for the Columbus Dispatch since 1989, covering the state house, as well as county government, development and general assignment beats.
He is married and has one child.
Riskind said the bureau chief’s position interested him because it offered the challenge of reopening a bureau and writing stories for a newspaper with a “great journalistic tradition.”
Riskind said he plans to pursue the same method of reporting that worked for him and his readers in Ohio — reporting stories about legislation that affects the daily lives of Mainers.
Riskind has a bachelor’s degree in history from Macalester College in St. Paul, Minn. He has been a journalist since 1985.
Maine readers can contact Riskind at 207-791-6280, e-mail him at jriskind@mainetoday.com or follow him on Twitter at @MaineTodayDC.
Staff Writer Dennis Hoey can be contacted at 791-6365 or at:
dhoey@pressherald.com
Send questions/comments to the editors.
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