The Washington Post has announced that Ben Williams has been named executive features editor, overseeing one of the newsroom’s largest and most dynamic departments with over 100 journalists. In this role, Williams will drive The Post’s award-winning reporting on the arts, pop culture, the entertainment industry and the media; shape The Post’s approach to providing advice and criticism that serves readers as they decide how to spend their time; and cultivate powerful storytelling and distinctive voices across a range of subjects.
“Our range of Features coverage is instrumental in reaching new audiences with destinations, such as Voraciously, distinctive voices and newsy coverage of celebrities and culture,” said Krissah Thompson, managing editor at The Post. “In Ben, we add an innovative editor who is committed to both sharp service journalism and the kind of writing and creativity that has been a mainstay of Style. He’ll help build on the soulful, thought-provoking narrative and character-driven storytelling Features has long been renowned for while bolstering its culture of experimentation with an eye toward growing our readership.”
Williams joins Features following a major expansion of advice and ahead of the anticipated relaunch of “The Home You Own” line of coverage. He was previously editorial director of GQ’s website where he also edited print features and cover stories. Prior to that, Williams was an editor at New York Magazine where he launched the Strategist section in print and then played a leading role in the conception, creation, growth and evolution of NYmag.com’s popular destinations, including Vulture, The Cut, Daily Intelligencer, and Grub Street. Under his leadership, NYmag.com won six American Society of Magazine Editors general excellence awards.
Williams graduated from the University of Kent with a bachelor’s degree in English and American literature and received his master’s degree in liberal studies at New York University. He currently resides in Brooklyn and will relocate D.C. in the coming months. His first day is Sept. 26.
