KQED, the public media organization that serves Northern California, announced the creation of a new multiplatform California Politics and Government Desk with award-winning journalist John Myers as its senior editor. As coverage of the largest and most diverse state in the United States has dwindled with numerous outlets closing their Sacramento bureaus, KQED is expanding its statewide reporting on television, radio and digital. The new desk will deliver coverage for breaking news and long-lead enterprise reporting while providing much-needed context, analysis and accountability for decisions of California officials.
The new desk’s coverage will coordinate with and build upon the robust reporting on the California government by The California Report Bureau Chiefs Scott Detrow (Sacramento), Sasha Khokha (Fresno) and Steven Cuevas (Los Angeles) and The California Report Host and KQED NEWSROOM Senior Correspondent Scott Shafer.
Myers, one of the most respected voices covering Sacramento today, was most recently the political editor for News10 KXTV, Sacramento's ABC affiliate. Myers returns to KQED after having a celebrated career as the Sacramento bureau chief for KQED Public Radio’s statewide program The California Report.
“We all know that a functioning democracy depends on informed citizens making decisions based on an understanding of the issues. Public media’s mission is to provide the news but also to provide context, background and implications,” said KQED President John Boland. “We are establishing the California Politics and Government Desk to expand our capacity for explanatory and accountability journalism covering our very large and complex state. I cannot think of anyone better qualified to lead this effort than John Myers and we are absolutely delighted to welcome him back to KQED.”
“I've spent most of my career covering California politics and government, and this is the most exciting venture in which I've ever been involved,” added Myers, who was picked as one of The Washington Post's most influential statehouse reporters in the U.S. in 2013. “There is no news organization quite like KQED and I'm honored to be coming back. This new multiplatform project is a big step in the changing world of news, and I'm thrilled KQED is taking the lead and allowing me to be a part of it. I can't wait to get started.” Along with his award–winning work in radio and on television, Myers was one of California’s first multimedia political reporters, having launched a Capitol blog and a politics podcast, and boasts the largest following of California political reporters on Twitter. He holds degrees from Duke University, the University of California, Berkeley, and teaches journalism at the California State University, Sacramento.