Vox Editor-in-Chief and Publisher Swati Sharma today announced that Steve Heuser will join the organization as executive editor, starting March 23.

In his new role, Heuser will partner closely with Vox’s editorial leadership to guide coverage priorities, support editors and reporters, and further evolve the publication’s journalism in a rapidly changing media landscape. He will oversee the Politics, Policy & Ideas team; the Even Better & Lifestyle team; and the Today, Explained & Explain It to Me team. 

“I’m so thrilled to welcome Steve to Vox,” Sharma said. “His editorial judgment, leadership experience, and deep understanding of the politics and policy landscape make him an exceptional fit for Vox at this moment.”

Heuser joins Vox from Politico, where he held several senior roles at the intersection of politics, policy, and innovation — and was known as a creative force in knitting together big-picture storylines on the changes driving American political culture.

As editor of Politico Magazine, he led a team of editors and designers who developed Politico’s longform stories, as well as handling all its outside contributors and opinion journalism. The magazine mixed quick-turn news analysis with high-polish narrative journalism and published several of the site’s highest-traffic stories.

As the founding editor of Politico’s The Agenda, he launched and ran a creative, design-forward online policy magazine that produced some of the site’s highest-profile coverage of health, energy, technology, and finance and won multiple awards. 

In his most recent role, Heuser was Politico’s first global technology editor, leading Washington coverage of tech policy and coordinating across teams in Brussels, London, and California. He ran major tech storylines and planned high-profile packages and live events. He also launched the Politico Tech podcast and the Digital Future Daily newsletter, now the site’s most popular policy newsletter.

Before coming to Washington, Heuser was Ideas editor at the Boston Globe and a SABEW Award-winning biotechnology reporter. He edited a science series that won the Pulitzer Prize for explanatory journalism, as well as two Pulitzer finalists. He also covered a papal conclave from Rome and had side gigs as restaurant critic, travel writer, and book reviewer.

Heuser is a graduate of Yale University and, in his spare time, enjoys biking, skiing, and getting outdoors with his wife and very active first-grader.

Vox editor-in-chief Swati Sharma and editorial director for politics, policy, and ideas Libby Nelson announced today that Caitlin Dewey is joining the brand as senior writer and editor for the Today, Explained newsletter. As the host of Vox’s flagship daily newsletter, Dewey will be responsible for helping Vox’s audience understand the biggest news stories and conversations affecting our world. She starts on December 15. 

“Caitlin is a unique voice and talent in the newsletter realm; her background in rigorous journalism, and in writing an approachable, reader-friendly newsletter, make her the perfect fit to helm Today, Explained. We’re excited to work with her to reimagine what the newsletter looks like in 2026 and beyond,” Nelson said. 

Dewey’s writing has appeared in the Washington Post, New York Times, Wall Street Journal, Elle, Slate, and The Cut, among other outlets. She began her career covering technology for the Washington Post, where she served as the paper’s first digital culture critic, and later moved to the Post’s national policy desk. In 2018, she returned to her native Western New York and spent five years as an enterprise and investigative reporter for the Buffalo News. She has worked as a contributing writer for Vanity Fair and Stateline and taught at Syracuse University and the Poynter Institute. She is also the author and publisher of the long-running independent newsletter Links I Would Gchat You If We Were Friends, which she will continue to publish after joining Vox. 

The Today, Explained franchise also extends to Vox’s award-winning podcast of the same name, which was recently ranked No. 37 on Spotify’s list of the top 50 podcasts of 2025 and entered the top 10 on Podtrac’s industry ranking.

About Vox

When Vox was founded in 2014, it was animated by a simple observation: The media did a good job of reporting the news and commenting on it, but there was a disconnect between that work and the audience truly understanding why something happened. Vox started as — and remains — an organization dedicated to addressing that gap, which not only persists but has grown.

We are proud to have popularized explanatory journalism in many forms, across many mediums. Our work has been used to educate people everywhere, from elementary schools to college classrooms to vaccination sites in Taiwan to footnotes in congressional memos. 

On Monday, Vox announced the launch of a major, multi-year editorial project exploring what it will take for the United States to restore its capacity to build — from new energy solutions, to upgrading transportation systems, to dramatically expanding the nation’s housing supply.

The project stems from a clear diagnosis: America urgently needs to build — fast — and it needs to grow. Through ambitious, solutions-focused journalism, Vox will examine the policy, political, and practical challenges that shape the country’s ability to construct the infrastructure and systems required for the 21st century. Coverage will delve into ideas and innovations that could unlock progress, including expanding electricity supply and modernizing the grid, improving and accelerating transportation projects, and growing housing availability to combat a decades-long shortage.

Vox received a grant from Arnold Ventures to support this project, though Vox retains full editorial control over all content produced as part of the project.

“Vox’s explanatory and solutions-focused journalism has been at the forefront of some of the most consequential policy discussions of the last decade,” said executive editor Elbert Ventura. “This generous grant from Arnold Ventures will allow us to dig into some of the most pressing questions in policy, surface undercovered ideas, and inform the national conversation in this crucial moment in our politics.” 

The initiative spans two major editorial packages, podcast series, live events, and a forthcoming newsletter product. Reporting and analysis will come from Vox’s newsroom, as well as contributions from a diverse roster of freelance writers. The project aims to serve as a resource for lawmakers, government officials, policy thinkers, scholars, journalists, and others shaping the national conversation around America’s capacity to build. But it also seeks to bring smart policy thinking and under-examined ideas to the wider public.

The first editorial package, The Case for Growth, is live today, with additional stories rolling out over the next month. This series will explore why the US turned away from a growth-oriented mindset and why doubling back down on growth — in energy solutions; in productivity; in technology; and ultimately, in the economy — is the only way out of a zero-sum politics that has paralyzed the country.

The second package, How They Built It, will debut in 2026. This case-study series will examine what the United States can learn from countries that have successfully built infrastructure faster, cleaner, and more affordably — and what it would take to apply those lessons at home.

The project will also include a Today, Explained podcast miniseries; an interview series on The Gray Area; a new newsletter focused on infrastructure and building policy launching in 2026; and a series of salon-style live events exploring these topics, taking place in 2026 and 2027. 

Vox editor-in-chief & publisher Swati Sharma today announced that acclaimed journalist Astead W. Herndon is joining the organization as host and editorial director. In this role, he will launch and lead a new multiplatform video podcast for Vox, while also contributing political coverage across text, video, audio, and social media platforms. He begins October 20, 2025.

At Vox, Herndon will play a key role in helping audiences understand the factors shaping the 2026 midterms and the lead-up to the 2028 presidential election. He will launch a new weekly video podcast about politics — and beyond — in 2026, expanding Vox’s reach with video-first political storytelling. He will be a multiplatform journalist, contributing to Vox’s text, audio, and video reporting. He will also guest-host Vox’s popular Today, Explained podcast along with Noel King this fall and winter, and create videos for Vox’s social channels, helping audiences clearly understand what’s going on in American politics, what the stakes are, and why it all matters. Vox will also explore exclusive content with Herndon for its membership program.

“When I think about the kind of talent I want at Vox, I keep coming back to two things: a voice that feels authentic and deeply connected to people, and someone who truly understands how to use audio, video, and text to reach audiences wherever they are,” Sharma said.

“Looking ahead to 2028 and beyond, Vox will continue to be a place where powerhouse talent helps us hear and understand voices outside elite spaces — because that’s what our audience wants, and what they deserve. Astead has proven, time and again, that he’s that rare kind of talent. He knows how to cut through, connect, and bring clarity when it matters most. I couldn’t be more excited about this partnership and what’s to come.”

Herndon comes to Vox from the New York Times, where he distinguished himself as a sharp, accessible voice on American politics, hosting The Run-Up podcast and reporting stories in text, audio, and video formats. His reporting is known for translating complex political dynamics into clear, nuanced stories that resonated with both political insiders and those outside the political bubble. In August, the National Association of Black Journalists named Herndon their 2025 Journalist of the Year. Earlier this year, he won the Distinguished Journalist Award from DePaul University, and was honored with a ceremony in his birthplace of Chicago. 

“As I’ve reported on politics in our changing country, I’ve seen the media environment changing around me,” Herndon said. “Meeting people where they are has always been a cornerstone of my work — and that’s exactly what Vox does. I’m excited to join a talented newsroom and help shape coverage of the next election that’s rigorous and curious.”

About Vox

When Vox was founded in 2014, it was animated by a simple observation: The media did a good job of reporting the news and commenting on it, but there was a disconnect between that work and the audience truly understanding why something happened. Vox started as — and remains — an organization dedicated to addressing that gap, which not only persists but has grown.

We are proud to have popularized explanatory journalism in many forms, across many mediums. Our work has been used to educate people everywhere, from elementary schools to college classrooms to vaccination sites in Taiwan to footnotes in congressional memos. We’ve received numerous awards, including News and Documentary Emmys, Online Journalism Awards, and Loeb Awards. We were a finalist for the Pulitzer Prize for our collaboration with ProPublica on maternal mortality. 

Vox editor-in-chief & publisher Swati Sharma and executive editor Elbert Ventura announced today that Elias Isquith will be joining the publication as a senior editor for policy, politics, and ideas. 

“In our conversations with him, it was clear that Elias is passionately interested in the same questions that drive our work,” said Libby Nelson, Vox’s editorial director for policy, politics, and ideas. “What are the roots of our current political moment? What is happening today that will still matter in a week, a month, or a decade — and how do we convey those stakes? What is the best way to give readers the context, nuance, and understanding they need on complex topics?”

Isquith, who will start at Vox on September 22, is currently a producer and researcher on The Ezra Klein Show at the New York Times. There, he focused on politics (especially the ascendant American right) and foreign policy, producing episodes with Nancy Pelosi, Rahm Emanuel, Ta-Nehisi Coates, Vivek Ramaswamy, and more. 

Before the Times, Elias was the editorial director of the NAACP Legal Education & Defense Fund; the editor in chief of Voices, the blog of the Open Society Foundations; an editor and writer at Salon; and the executive editor of the digital media startup Cafe.com.

Vox editor-in-chief & publisher Swati Sharma announced that senior correspondent Joshua Keating has been named a 2025 Outrider Fellow, joining a distinguished cohort of journalists supported by the Outrider Foundation. 

The fellowship, in partnership with Journalism Funding Partners, includes a grant to fund Keating’s continued reporting on the evolving relationship between artificial intelligence (AI) and nuclear weapons.

As part of the fellowship, Keating will report a series of stories on the intersection of nuclear weapons and AI over the next year, and will work with Vox’s Today, Explained podcast team to produce an episode connected to one of his stories. Future story topics will explore whether the automated battlefield could go nuclear, how AI could be used to fight a nuclear war, and what happens when we introduce AI to the world’s most powerful computer for nuclear weapons. 

Keating will also cover news on the nuclear beat as it arises. His work will seek to illuminate the potential risks posed by emerging technologies, how world powers are responding, and what this means for the future of global stability.

“Eighty years ago, the invention of nuclear weapons transformed armed conflict and international relations in ways that were little anticipated at the time. AI could have a similarly profound impact today,” Keating said. “I’m very excited to spend the year exploring the connections between these two transformational technologies, telling unexpected and surprising stories, and separating the genuine threats from the hype.”

Keating is a senior correspondent at Vox covering foreign policy and world news with a focus on the future of international conflict. He has previously worked as a writer and editor at Slate, Foreign Policy, Grid, and The Messenger.

He is the author of the 2018 book, Invisible Countries: Journeys to the Edge of Nationhood, an exploration of border conflicts, unrecognized countries, and changes to the world map. His work has appeared in publications including the Washington Post, the New York Times, The Atlantic, The Guardian, and Politico. He has reported from Russia, China, Iraq, Somalia, and Haiti, among other countries.

“The intersection of artificial intelligence technology and nuclear security is a beat that is ripe for investigative journalism,” said Robert K. Elder, President and CEO at Outrider Foundation. “Keating‘s work has been an essential, thoughtful source for exploring technologies and their impact on humanity.”

The Outrider Foundation, based in Madison, Wisconsin, is committed to engaging the public on global security and climate issues through rigorous journalism and compelling storytelling. The Outrider Fellowship supports leading journalists who are investigating critical intersections between technology, policy, and global safety.

Keating’s work as an Outrider Fellow will appear throughout 2025 and 2026 across Vox’s website and other platforms.

Vox editor-in-chief Swati Sharma and vice president of development Nisha Chittal announced today that veteran video journalist Christina Vallice has joined the brand as head of video. She begins her new role on July 7. 

“I’m thrilled to welcome Christina to Vox. She is an exceptionally talented video journalist and newsroom leader who will be instrumental in shaping the next chapter of Vox video,” Chittal said. “She brings a wealth of experience to the role, and understands how to break down complex topics in an accessible way. I can’t wait to see how she will take Vox’s explanatory video journalism to new heights.” 

In her role, Vallice will oversee Vox’s award-winning video department, continuing the brand’s signature explainer videos as well as leading expansion and experimentation with new formats in vertical shortform video and podcast video. She will oversee video strategy and publishing across all of Vox’s platforms, including Vox’s flagship YouTube channel with over 12 million subscribers, Instagram, TikTok, and website and owned platforms. 

Vallice joins Vox after serving in leadership roles at the Wall Street Journal, Yahoo Finance, and Vice, following more than a decade producing at NBC News.  

Most recently, Vallice was the director of video series and events at Yahoo Finance. There she led a team to deliver in-depth, original reporting on the investments that are leading to advancements in tech, science, and AI, newsmaker interviews with prominent CEOs and business leaders, and spearheaded the cross-newsroom coordination for major coverage events.  

At the Wall Street Journal, Vallice served as the senior executive producer of news and specials, directing a global team spanning New York, London, and Singapore to produce daily news videos, in-depth explainers, international  features, video investigations and documentaries across various platforms. Under Vallice, the Journal earned two national Emmy nominations for its first feature-length documentary and  its first video investigation. 

Before her time at Yahoo Finance and the Journal, Vallice was a supervising producer at Vice, and helped launch the award-winning HBO broadcast, Vice News Tonight. Prior to that, Vallice spent 11 years at NBC Nightly News, delivering fast-turn stories under tight deadlines both in edit and in the field, producing coverage on a wide variety of major news stories.

Vallice received her master’s degree in broadcast journalism from Syracuse University’s Newhouse School of Public Communications after earning her undergraduate degree at Binghamton University.