The New York Times: Culture’s new pop music and platforms editor

Posted
Tuesday,August 25, 202611:32 am
Elena Bergeron

I’m delighted to announce that Elena Bergeron is Culture’s new pop music and new platforms editor.

Elena will drive our pop music coverage and explore the ways pop culture intersects with YouTube, TikTok and other platforms.

This will be a seamless transition for Elena, who has been collaborating closely with the pop team since she moved to Culture from Sports three years ago. She has already edited live coverage of tentpole events like the Grammys and the Super Bowl halftime show, as well as trial news involving Sean Combs and, currently, the Tupac murder trial. She has also shepherded visually-driven stories about Kendrick Lamar and theMiles Daviscentennial and has been editing Lindsay Zoladz’s excellent Amplifier newsletter.

“Elena is great at helping writers turn an idea into a fully realized piece, and her news judgment is exceptionally sharp,” said David Malitz, deputy editor of Culture. “It’s no surprise that immediately upon joining Culture, she fully earned the trust of everyone she worked with.”

Elena has also kept a sharp eye on the way culture lives on social platforms, editingmemorable stories aboutpodcast set design,lessons learnedby YouTube’s earliest stars, examinations ofTheo Vonand MrBeast and a look athow a horror YouTubersurprised Hollywood at the box office. She has worked with the Popcast team and has collaborated with the visual editors on multimedia pieces like Joe Coscarelli’s examination ofreality TV casting.

As Joe put it, “Elena is a writer’s perfect partner because her ambitions are not bound by the way things might have been done in the past. She’s committed to not just checking boxes, but making sure that every story is being executed with originality and flair, when called for, but never for its own sake. She has a real curiosity about many corners of culture and a healthy skepticism, too. And she will never let you embarrass yourself — what more could you ask for in an editor?”

Elena joined The Times in 2019 as the N.F.L., N.H.L. and golf editor and edited the Sports of The Times column. She has led many investigations, including pieces onDeshaun Watson’s sexual misconduct;Jon Gruden’s emails, which led to his resignation as head coach of the Las Vegas Raiders; and the fatal accident caused byBritt Reid. Before The Times, she was editor in chief of SB Nation;the founding editor of Triangle Offense, a basketball and lifestyle site; and a staff writer at ESPN: The Magazine.

Elena will continue to report to David Malitz. Please join us in congratulating her and wishing her well in her new role.

Sia Michel is The New York Times’ Culture editor.