Readers of AOL’s hyperlocal Patch network of sites will gain access to hyperlocal deals and the ability to complete transactions with local merchants as the result of an agreement between AOL and American Express to bring the global financial services company’s Serve digital payment and commerce platform to Patch sites nationwide.
Launch a social media campaign that will build your brand and deliver results in our online Social Media Marketing Boot Camp starting June 7. Speakers include Abigail Cusick (Bravo Digital), Gregory Galant (Sawhorse Media), Alex Leo (Thomson Reuters Digital), Jim Tobin (Ignite Social Media), and many more. Read the reviews. Just two business days after it was out with the old at AOL and Huffington Post Media Group, it was in with the new, as the division created by the merger of AOL and The Huffington Post announced several new hires, including two high-profile additions — Twitter co-founder Biz Stone as strategic impact adviser, and veteran journalist John Montorio as culture and entertainment editor — as well as the promotion of HuffPost senior political editor Howard Fineman to editorial director for the group.
Huffington Post Media Group and AOL also announced the addition of two new neighborhoods in Newark to Patch, in partnership with that city’s Twitter-friendly Mayor Cory Booker, and the launch of its 30-Day Service Challenge employee volunteer initiative.
Stone will advise on social impact and cause-based initiatives, including the development of a platform to make it easier for people to perform services in their communities. He will also recruit other companies to invest in and deploy best corporate practices, and create and develop a video series spotlighting companies and executives that are stellar in philanthropy and corporate responsibility.
Montorio boasts more than 30 years of experience reporting, writing, editing, and managing news staffs, including stints with The New York Times and the Los Angeles Times.
In his new role, Fineman will help shape Huffington Post Media Group’s overall coverage, as well as working to integrate AOL news and information brands. He will also guide coverage of the upcoming presidential campaign coverage, continuing to report for HuffPost, and retaining his role as an analyst for NBC and MSNBC.
Other new editorial hires across Huffington Post Media Group:
White House correspondent Jennifer Bendery, who had been covering The White House and House and Senate Leadership for Roll Call for the past three years;
Culture/style reporter Caroline Dworin, who had been a regular contributor to the City section of The New York Times and appeared in anthology More New York Stories: The Best of the City Section of The New York Times;
Workplace reporter Dave Jamieson, who formerly covered transportation issues for TBD;
General assignment writer Saki Knafo, who previously wrote for The New York Times Magazine, New York magazine, The Believer, GQ, and Publishers Weekly;
News editor Simone Landon, who had been producer of Morning Edition for Rhode Island Public Radio;
Real estate editor Catherine New, whose work has been published by The Wall Street Journal, Associated Press, Metro Newspaper, Flavorpill.com, Men’s Vogue, and Psychology Today;
And four new Jefferson young journalists: Katherine Bindley, who graduated from Georgetown University and was a regular contributor to The New York Times City section, as culture/style reporter; Laura Gottesdiener, who graduated from Yale University and was a staff writer for The Brooklyn Paper, as lifestyle reporter; Joy Resmovits, who graduated from Barnard College and has been at The Jewish Daily Forward since 2010, as education reporter; and Laura Stampler, who graduated from Stanford University and has written for The New Republic, The Nation, and The Miami Herald, as lifestyle reporter.
AOL is taking its Patch local-content initiative back to school with its announcement of the launch of PatchU, a network of partnerships between local Patch sites and journalism schools, colleges, and universities.
A total of 13 schools are already enrolled in PatchU, which offers students access to internships and coursework opportunities at local sites, giving the students exposure by hosting their local content.
Participating PatchU schools are: Hofstra University School of Communication (founding partner), The City University of New York Graduate School of Journalism, University of North Carolina School of Journalism and Mass Communication, Northwestern University’s Medill School of Journalism, Missouri School of Journalism, University of Connecticut Department of Journalism, Indiana University School of Journalism, Stanford University Graduate Program in Journalism, Columbia College Chicago Journalism Department, University of California at Berkeley Graduate School of Journalism, University of Southern California Annenberg School for Communications & Journalism, Seton Hall Department of Communication and The Arts, and Quinnipiac University Department of Journalism.
