Windy City public radio affiliate WBEZ has tapped Cassie Walker Burke as its first-ever external editor.
According to Roger Feder, Walker Burke will oversee the station’s newsroom freelance program. Before this announcement, she was listed as one of the editors for the program.
Walker Burke has served as the editor of Chicago Magazine. She also founded Chalkbeat Chicago, a nonprofit news organization reporting on education in Chicago.
In January, the Chicago Public Media board approved a merger with the Chicago Sun-Times. The merger was made possible by $61 million in donations from foundations and individuals.
Once the deal was finalized, WBEZ essentially became a massive broadcast, print, and digital outlet with the potential to reach two million people in Chicago each week.
Walker Burke tweeted that her last day at Chalkbeat will be March 3. In addition, WBEZ has hired Mawa Iqbal as an Illinois Public Radio statehouse reporter.
