James Reed promoted to deputy editor of The Times’ Fast Break Desk

The following announcement was sent on behalf of Assistant Managing Editor for News B.J. Terhune:

James Reed has been named the deputy editor of the Fast Break Desk.

In his role, Reed will work to build and operate The Times’ breaking news department, a major new initiative. In the coming months, The Times plans to fill out a team of editors and reporters to jump on breaking news stories around the clock, supplement the work of the news and features sections, and serve as an innovator in fast journalism, enterprise and creative storytelling across different platforms.

Reed comes from the Entertainment department, where he ran its highly successful breaking news team. That desk serves as a model for telling sophisticated, surprising and engaging stories in real time, and he will work to push out those strategies to the rest of the newsroom. Reed will continue to focus on entertainment and culture but will also play a central role in developing the paper’s breaking news practices, managing the department and collaborating with the rest of the organization.

Before coming to The Times, Reed served as a pop music critic and assistant arts editor at the Boston Globe.

He began his new role March 20.