New York, N.Y. (July 22, 2014) - Father Matt Malone, S.J., editor in chief of America, announced today the appointment of America correspondents in Miami, Chicago, Los Angeles and Beijing. This first round of appointments is the latest move in the most dramatic expansion of America's domestic and international coverage in 30 years. "We are delighted to welcome this distinguished team of professional journalists and writers to America's masthead," said Father Malone. "At a time when many U.S. media outlets are cutting back on coverage, we are making a significant new investment on behalf of our readers." A second round of appointments will be announced next month.
- Miami - Tim Padgett: Tim Padgett has covered Latin America for almost 25 years, for Newsweek as its Mexico City bureau chief from 1990 to 1996, and for Time as its Latin America bureau chief, first in Mexico from 1996 to 1999 and then in Miami, where he also covered Florida and the U.S. Southeast, from 1999 to 2013. Padgett has interviewed more than 20 heads of state. In 2005, he received Columbia University's Maria Moors Cabot Prize, the oldest international award in journalism, for his body of work. He is currently the Americas editor for Miami NPR affiliate WLRN.
- Chicago - Judith Valente: A regular contributor to NPR and "Religion and Ethics Newsweekly," Judith Valente is a journalist, poet and essayist. She began her work as a staff reporter for The Washington Post. She later joined the staff of The Wall Street Journal, reporting from that paper's Chicago and London bureaus. She was twice a finalist for the Pulitzer Prize, first in the public service category as part of a team of reporters at The Dallas Times Herald in the 1980s. In 1993, she was a finalist for the Pulitzer in the feature writing category for her front page article in The Wall Street Journal chronicling the story of a religiously conservative father caring for his son dying of AIDS.
- Los Angeles - James McDermott, S.J.: Father James McDermott studied literature at Marquette and Harvard University and Old Testament and Liturgy at the Weston Jesuit School of Theology. A former Associate Editor of America, Father McDermott recently completed his M.F.A. in Screenwriting from U.C.L.A. For the last three years he has worked in the development department of the AMC network. He recently sold his first TV pilot.
- Beijing - Steven Schwankert: Steven Schwankett is an award-winning writer and editor with 17 years of experience in Greater China, focusing on exploration, technology, media and culture. His book, "Poseidon: China's Secret Salvage of Britain's Lost Submarine," was published in 2013 by Hong Kong University Press. A Fellow of the Royal Geographical Society, his work has been published in The Asian Wall Street Journal, The South China Morning Post, Billboard, Variety and The Hollywood Reporter. It has also appeared on the Web sites of The New York Times, The Washington Post, PC World and MacWorld. He is a former deputy Asia editor for The Hollywood Reporter, former editor of Computerworld Hong Kong and former managing editor of asia.internet.com.
