The Intercept Is proud to announce the appointment of Ben Muessig as interim editor-in-chief, effective April 29. Muessig is an accomplished journalist and editor. He joins The Intercept from the Los Angeles Times, where he served as the assistant managing editor for storytelling, championing innovation and creativity in journalism.
Muessig will oversee all editorial operations and strategy for The Intercept’s hard-hitting reporting team. He will spearhead efforts to expand the publication’s reach and impact through innovative storytelling and audience engagement initiatives.
“Ben is an exceptionally talented editor with a strong vision for the future of digital media,” said Annie Chabel, CEO of The Intercept. “His journalistic integrity, creativity, and track record of editing impactful projects make him uniquely positioned to guide our newsroom during this transition. The Intercept has done incredible reporting on our political system and the war in Gaza, and under Ben’s direction, I’m confident we will continue growing as a force for truth and accountability.”
“I’m honored and excited to work alongside The Intercept’s brilliant journalists,” said Muessig.
“The Intercept has a proud legacy of investigative reporting that shines light on abuses of power and systemic injustice. Now is the moment to bring that fearless and impactful journalism to new and bigger audiences.”
IT’S EVEN WORSE THAN WE THOUGHT.
What we’re seeing right now from Donald Trump is a full-on authoritarian takeover of the U.S. government.
This is not hyperbole.
Court orders are being ignored. MAGA loyalists have been put in charge of the military and federal law enforcement agencies. The Department of Government Efficiency has stripped Congress of its power of the purse. News outlets that challenge Trump have been banished or put under investigation.
Yet far too many are still covering Trump’s assault on democracy like politics as usual, with flattering headlines describing Trump as “unconventional,” “testing the boundaries,” and “aggressively flexing power.”
The Intercept has long covered authoritarian governments, billionaire oligarchs, and backsliding democracies around the world. We understand the challenge we face in Trump and the vital importance of press freedom in defending democracy.
We’re independent of corporate interests. Will you help us?
IT’S BEEN A DEVASTATING year for journalism — the worst in modern U.S. history.
We have a president with utter contempt for truth aggressively using the government’s full powers to dismantle the free press. Corporate news outlets have cowered, becoming accessories in Trump’s project to create a post-truth America. Right-wing billionaires have pounced, buying up media organizations and rebuilding the information environment to their liking.
In this most perilous moment for democracy, The Intercept is fighting back. But to do so effectively, we need to grow.
That’s where you come in. Will you help us expand our reporting capacity in time to hit the ground running in 2026?
We’re independent of corporate interests. Will you help us?
I’M BEN MUESSIG, The Intercept’s editor-in-chief. It’s been a devastating year for journalism — the worst in modern U.S. history.
We have a president with utter contempt for truth aggressively using the government’s full powers to dismantle the free press. Corporate news outlets have cowered, becoming accessories in Trump’s project to create a post-truth America. Right-wing billionaires have pounced, buying up media organizations and rebuilding the information environment to their liking.
In this most perilous moment for democracy, The Intercept is fighting back. But to do so effectively, we need to grow.
That’s where you come in. Will you help us expand our reporting capacity in time to hit the ground running in 2026?
We’re independent of corporate interests. Will you help us?
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