Financial Times journalist Peter Spiegel will join the Washington Post as a managing editor starting Feb. 24.
Spiegel, who will join the paper’s current managing editors Liz Seymour and Scott Vance and will report to executive editor Matt Murray, will oversee its national and local newsroom departments, including coverage of national politics, the federal government, national security, the judiciary, immigration, race, health and science.
“I’ve been a loyal reader and awestruck admirer of The Post since I first arrived in Washington as a young reporter more than three decades ago,” Spiegel said in a Thursday statement. “It is an honor to be joining this world-class organization and contribute to the incredible work of its newsroom. I’m grateful to work alongside some of the finest journalists anywhere.”
Spiegel most recently serves as FT’s U.S. managing editor, overseeing editorial operations in the Americas over the past nearly six years, including its expansion strategy and coverage as well as daily news operations for print and online.
During his tenure, the publication won six Gerald Loeb Awards and 13 British Press Awards, including News Website of the Year in 2017 and Newspaper of the Year in 2018. He also served as the head of FT’s London newsroom and its Brussels bureau chief and a Washington business correspondent, leading coverage on the Justice Department, the Federal Communications Commission and other federal regulatory agencies, with a special focus on corporate crime, including its coverage of the Enron scandal.
Additionally, he held various reporting positions at The Los Angeles Times and The Wall Street Journal from 2006 to 2010, covering foreign policy and military affairs with a special focus on the wars in Iraq and Afghanistan, frequently traveling overseas and visiting the war zones. Spiegel began his career as a reporter for Roll Call and Forbes Magazine.
“Peter brings brilliant experience, digital expertise, management chops and a great nose for big stories and areas of opportunity,” Murray added. “He will be central as we shape the next great chapter for The Washington Post.”
Spiegel’s appointment comes as the Post has seen several staffers depart after its billionaire owner Jeff Bezos nixed the editorial board’s plan to endorse Vice President Kamala Harris for president before the 2024 election — marking the first time in 36 years the paper didn’t endorse a presidential candidate.
Those who have exited include democracy editor Griff Witte, columnists Jen Rubin and Michele Norris, cartoonist Ann Telnaes, editor Philip Rucker, investigative reporter Josh Dawsey, political correspondents Ashley Parker and Michael Scherer and White House reporter Tyler Pager.
Additionally, WaPo laid off roughly 100 employees earlier this month.