Troy Thibodeaux named director of digital news

I am thrilled to announce that Troy Thibodeaux is AP’s new director of digital news. He will lead our efforts to hone our focus on the growing digital news needs of customers and delivering our journalism in ways that meet those needs, as well as our own direct-to-audience work. As director, Troy will oversee the Data Analysis and News Applications team, the News Design and Graphics team, the News Research team and the new Audience and Platforms team.

Troy, who has led AP’s data journalism efforts since 2013, is the perfect choice for this new role in the news department. As an innovator and collaborator, he has fostered some of AP’s highest-impact journalism. He has worked consistently to build our capacity for digital work and served as a coach and mentor to reporters harnessing the power of data to bring precision to their work and break more news. And his experience in working with colleagues in Technology, Revenue and Products will be invaluable as we create the future of our digital platforms and make stronger connections between the work of AP journalists around the world and the end user who reads, watches, and listens to AP’s news online and on a device. Since joining the AP in 2007, Troy has steadily pushed AP journalism forward in the digital space. He began as a database editor but quickly worked to define our data journalism strategy and direct multimedia and computer-assisted reporting teams. Over the past few years, he has taken our data journalism team from a small section of the graphics department into an award-winning team that works with AP journalists around the globe. In 2015, he devised and launched the data distribution program that allows members to tailor national stories for local audiences. During the pandemic, his team has shared vital COVID-19 information with members and customers. Troy has also played an integral role in our election coverage. His team developed customizable coverage for customers and readers for the 2020 elections and has worked to internationalize election visualizations. He is now heavily involved in remaking our elections offerings for 2022 alongside our Graphics and Election teams. I know Troy will bring that same entrepreneurial spirit to his new position. Troy’s work has won acclaim from many corners. He was part of the Pulitzer Prize-winning coverage of Hurricane Katrina at the Times-Picayune, a winner of the IRE Philip Meyer Award. In 2019, the data team won AP’s Chairman’s Prize, our highest internal honor, for their work to create distinctive local accountability journalism. The team compiles, vets and distributes data that enables customers to localize national stories and tell unique local stories better. Troy has a bachelor’s degree in English and Philosophy from the University of Notre Dame, a master’s degree in English and American Literature from Louisiana State University and a doctorate in English and American Literature from New York University. Please join me in congratulating him! Best,
Amanda