The Long Beach Post, the largest news organization in the city, is expanding its core mission of telling the diverse story of Long Beach with several key additions to the staff, including an investigative reporter and multimedia journalist who will soon launch audio and broadcast components to the Post’s news coverage.

Anthony Pignataro, who has close to three decades of experience in journalism, is joining the Post as an investigative reporter and editor. Pignataro led numerous investigations and long-form journalism projects for the OC Weekly and other publications.

Pignataro will work on special projects involving City Hall, the police department and other issues, and will also serve as an editor and special project lead. Some of his coverage has already included a look at AI software the city has been using to glean reaction to COVID-19 restrictions and problems in the city’s building permit department.

Jackie Rae Shepard brings a wealth of broadcast and audio experience to the Post, and will soon be launching a weekly podcast that will include highlights of the Post’s news coverage, original feature news reporting and analysis of timely topics.

You will also see her frequently on the Post’s social media channels doing stand-up broadcasts of live events—such as this video of Community Hospital’s emergency department reopening—and in-depth interviews with Post journalists, such as this interview with Long Beach Business Journal reporter Alena Maschke.

In addition to these new full-time hires, the Post has shored up its news coverage with other promotions and staff changes:

  • Jason Ruiz, who has been reporting on City Hall part-time since 2013, has joined the Post team full-time.
  • Cheantay Jensen, who started at the Post as an intern in the fall of 2019, has been promoted to full-time, with an emphasis on award-winning video production.
  • Former breaking news reporter Valerie Osier has assumed a new position as newsletter and social media manager, in order to highlight the Post’s journalism to a wider audience.

The Long Beach Post’s mission is to create an informed and engaged community by providing a platform for our city’s diverse voices, holding those with power and influence to account and by reporting the truth with authority, integrity and heart.

This work isn’t cheap. Please support us by making a regular monetary donation, considering us for your advertising needs—and of course, with your continued readership.