The New York Time is hiring an “executive editor” to tackle President Donald Trump’s Twitter abuse and the rise of “fake news” on the social media platform.
The hiring of the former “The New Yorker” editor and columnist, Paul Lonergan, follows a recent spike in online harassment of women on Twitter and other platforms.
Lonergan is currently in charge of the social news and politics section of The Times, which has been struggling with the rise in the spread of fake news and misinformation online.
Logan is the latest in a string of “creative journalists” who have been hired by the paper to tackle the growing threat of online harassment and abuse.
In a statement, the Times said that it was hiring an editor to “tackle the challenges posed by the proliferation of misinformation and harassment, including the proliferation on social media of false and misleading information about the president, the office of the attorney general, and other important government entities.”
Lonerggan will work alongside executive editor Liz Spayd, the paper’s managing editor of digital, and senior editors Jill Abramson and Emily Bazelon.
“Paul Lonergigan has spent his career at The New Yorker covering issues of the day and issues of culture, and he brings a deep understanding of the news and culture of New York City,” Spayt said in the statement.
Lergan was also a longtime writer for “The Washington Post,” a longtime columnist for The New Republic, and a columnist for the Los Angeles Times.
Lonergans latest book, “How to Be a Reporter in the Digital Age,” is a memoir of his time at The Post.
“We are committed to providing high-quality content and engaging voices to The New Yorkers staff, and we are delighted to welcome Paul to The Times,” Abramson said in a statement.
Abramson said the hiring was part of a larger strategy to “build the best journalism on the Internet and social media” in order to counter the growing spread of “misinformation.”
“The New Yorkers will be part of this effort by providing our journalists with the expertise and knowledge they need to tackle social media and other issues in an effective and fair way,” Abramsson said.