Mother Jones Announces Return of Jamilah King, as New Editorial Director

Previously Served as BuzzFeed’s Managing Editor

Mother Jones announced the hiring of Jamilah King as an Editorial Director, marking her return to the nonprofit news outlet where she worked for more than four years, including as host of its weekly podcast and its race and justice reporter.

“I’m thrilled to have the phenomenally talented Jamilah King back on the team,” said Mother Jones Editor-in-Chief Clara Jeffery. “A recognized newsroom leader, she has a great ability to identify the underreported stories of our day and help reporters do the kind of careful excavation to bring them to light. In addition, her experience working in a variety of media dovetails with our multi-platform strategy.”

Prior to her return to Mother Jones, King served as BuzzFeed’s managing editor and deputy inequality editor. In those roles she integrated various business and editorial operations, spearheaded a direct sales program that generated significant revenue, and edited a team of reporters based in London, Delhi, Mexico City, and New York City.

During her earlier stint with Mother Jones, she hosted more than 180 episodes of “The Mother Jones Podcast,” which ran until October 2021, and wrote long and insightful profiles of some of the nation’s leading Black female officeholders and candidates: Kamala Harris, Stacey Abrams, Lucy McBath, and Carroll Fife. Her reporting drew many accolades, including winning the Newswomen’s Club of New York’s Front Page Award for best news podcast; being selected as a finalist for a National Magazine Award; and was part of the team that won a silver Telly Award.

King has also served as an adjunct lecturer on political reporting at the Craig Newmark Graduate School of Journalism at City University of New York, and was the host of HBO’s “The Last Call Podcast,” a companion to the four-part documentary series released this year about gay men in New York being murdered in the early 1990s.

In her new role, King will deepen Mother Jones’ investigative journalism, with a special focus on LGBTQ issues, racial justice and wealth inequality. King lives in New York City, and her first day will be Oct. 16.