Former New Orleans Times-Picayune reporter Brendan McCarthy will lead the Kentucky Center for Investigative Reporting, the new in-depth journalism wing of Louisville Public Media.McCarthy becomes the center's managing editor on June 17. He's currently an investigative reporter for WWL-TV in New Orleans, a post he took last year.At The Times-Picayune, McCarthy was a finalist with two others reporters for the 2009 Pulitzer Prize for Local Reporting for a series on an unsolved murder.He also co-wrote aseries on police abusesafter Hurricane Katrina and assisted in exposing U.S. Sen. David Vitter's affair with a prostitute."It's no secret that newsrooms everywhere are cutting back, which is why this opportunity to build a unique, investigative newsroom in Louisville is so appealing," McCarthy said in a statement. "I look forward to working with the fine folks at Louisville Public Media and producing more hard-hitting journalism of great impact.”The Times-Picayune was among a handful of U.S. papers to cease daily circulation in 2012. Louisville Public Media—which operates the WFPL, WFPK and WUOL public radio stations—announced in October that it had gotten a challenge grant to start an investigative journalism center. The challenge grant was met and LPM began seeking an investigative reporting staff—an editor and four reporting positions—in February. No other hires have been made. “I’m delighted that we have been able to attract someone of Brendan’s caliber to lead this important new project,” said Donovan Reynolds, president and general manager of LPM. “He is a fearless journalist whose work has had a powerful impact: his reporting has put important people in jail, led to resignations, indictments and widespread reforms that made his city safer.”
