Two months ago, I announced my intention to launch The Bayou Brief, a first-of-its-kind statewide, non-profit, and online-only news publication that would exclusively focus on quality investigative journalism about the Great State of Louisiana. Within less than a week, more than 120 people- 90% of whom were from Louisiana- contributed more than $15,000 to turn that idea into a reality.
Suffice it to say, I have stayed busy during the last two months, and today, The Bayou Brief has incorporated as a non-profit corporation, appointed a Board of Directors, adopted Articles of Incorporation and Bylaws, hired one of the country’s best web development companies, brought on two astounding researchers and writers, and raised a grand total of almost $55,000, which guarantees we will be operational for the remainder of the year (though we definitely require more resources to be competitive and sustainable).
We are still a few weeks away from our official launch. We all understand the need to ensure that the publication we produce is top-notch. To that end, we are still actively recruiting freelance contributors and researchers. If you’re interested in joining our team, send me an e-mail at lamarw at gmail dot com or look me up on Facebook or Twitter.
One more thing- and I realize I may be burying the lede- today, we are proud to announce that Katie Weaver will be joining The Bayou Brief as its Editor-in-Chief.
Here’s our announcement, which is still steaming hot off of the press:
For Immediate Release
April 24, 2017
Katie Weaver Joins the Bayou Brief As Editor-in-Chief
Today, Lamar White, Jr., publisher and founder of The Bayou Brief, is pleased to announce that Katie Weaver, one of the nation’s most talented and accomplished young editors, will serve as its Editor-in-Chief.
“Katie is a brilliant and insightful writer and editor who will ensure that The Bayou Brief will be guided by the very highest standards,” White said. “We are incredibly fortunate to have recruited her back to Louisiana to help spearhead this ambitious and important project. She is the real deal.”
Katie comes to The Bayou Brief from Oxford University Press, where she worked with hundreds of well-known political scholars on their books, managed its co-publishing relationship with a leading British publisher of books on global affairs, C. Hurst and Co., and helped to finalize a co-publishing partnership with the Carnegie Endowment for International Peace.
Notably, during her time with Oxford University Press, Katie collaborated on editing the book “Governing Global Health: Who Runs the World and Why?” co-written (with Devi Sridhar) by former first daughter Chelsea Clinton.
Prior to working at Oxford, Katie earned a Master’s degree in Social and Cultural Analysis from New York University. She also gained experience in both federal and municipal government through internships at the U.S. Trade Representative and the New Orleans Independent Police Monitor. Katie is a proud alumna of Tulane University, where she earned a B.A. in Political Science and English in 2013.
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CenLamar 