NBC News has named Tom Namako the new Executive Editor of NBC News Digital, beginning April 25.
Namako replaces David Firestone, who is retiring from NBC News after more than four decades in journalism.
“Tom has demonstrated an uncanny story sense and an ability to spot rich threads on major breaking stories in an instant,” NBC News global digital news boss Catherine Kim said in a note to staff. “He is known for his creativity – producing original reporting that stands apart and compels a reader’s attention — and for the ambition and ability to inspire teams to produce their best work.”
Namako currently serves as the deputy editor-in-chief for BuzzFeed News, which is going through some changes. Its editor-in-chief Mark Schoofs announced Tuesday he is resigning from his post after less than two years, and the outlet will soon be downsizing through voluntary buy-outs, according to Adweek.
Prior to joining BuzzFeed News, Namako was an editor at the Wall Street Journal and the New York Post, where he also served as a transit reporter. At WSJ, Namako oversaw coverage of the biggest breaking stories in the New York region, and helped digitize the outlet. Namako got his start in journalism as a staff writer at the Press of Atlantic City and at the Philadelphia City Paper alt-weekly, where he grew up.