The E.W. Scripps Company has appointed news executive Kate O'Brian to the new role of president of News, responsible for all news operations across Scripps' local media stations, Scripps News and Court TV. This move allows Scripps' local and national news operations to align more closely in editorial strategy ? each dedicated to serving American audiences the news and information they need to make informed decisions about their lives.

O'Brian joined Scripps in 2021 to lead Newsy and Court TV and serve as the architect for Scripps News, merging the company's local and national news resources into a national news division. Last fall, the network earned its first Emmy award, for "Plastic Time Bomb." Scripps leaders reporting to O'Brian: Christina Hartman, vice president, head of Scripps News, will lead the network that reaches 95% of Americans with fact-based, in-depth reporting and programming on multiple platforms. Hartman has been serving as head of news standards for Scripps News and Court TV. Previously, she was vice president of Newsy.

Ethan Nelson, vice president, head of Court TV, will continue to lead the network as it brings gavel-to-gavel coverage and in-depth legal reporting and expertise to the nation's most compelling and important trials. The vice president, head of Local News, a new, open role that will oversee Scripps' local news content strategy alongside O'Brian. This person will work closely with Dean Littleton, senior vice president of local media, to execute the content strategy along with the news initiative for local news teams. O'Brian's career in news and journalism spans nearly four decades.

Prior to joining Scripps, she was a longtime ABC news executive who, among many other roles, served as head of affiliate news services and worked closely with 200 local stations. O'Brian also was the first woman to run a 24/7 cable news organization when she was appointed president at Al Jazeera America.