Serving my community is what my career is all about. Giving people knowledge to change their lives and circumstances is among the things that journalism does best and so, I serve through my work.
I’m currently the Editor-in-Chief of the AFRican Magazine, founded in 2001 as a bridge between continental Africans and communities in the West.
One of the founding members, I’ve helped conceive and shape its coverage to represent accurately Africans the world over and increase journalism from the continent. The magazine and accompanying website have in turn produced content that have been picked up by a wide array of media outlets.
From 1993 through 2008, I worked full time for the New York Post, part of the global media conglomerate News Corporation. Between 2001 and 2008 I served as the City Hall Reporter where I’ve covered the Big Apple’s municipal government, political campaigns, and was the main legislative affairs correspondent for the daily newspaper’s nearly 1 million readers. Through my reports I’ve tried to focus on issues that matter and make a difference.
In early 2001 I worked at The Times of London covering national news. Broadcast news has also featured prominently in my career. I’ve worked at ABC NEWS and BET NEWS in their broadcast news divisions.
A good part of my reporting portfolio has included reporting and writing on public health particularly HIV/AIDS as well as the culture of the day. My work has appeared in The Hollywood Reporter, Vibe Magazine, The Advocate, Out Traveler, Blackaids.org, GlobalPost and more.
In May 2008, I joined New York University as a Clinical Associate Professor in the Journalism Department and as the first Director of the ‘Reporting Africa’ program. Since then I have created a unique immersion reporting program based in Accra, Ghana that gives budding journalists a chance to experience what its like covering Africa as a foreign correspondent. Participants hit the ground running and produce often untold stories in multiple platforms _ print, broadcast and multimedia _ from the region. Work from the program has been published in a variety of outlets over the years. Many of the program’s alumni have returned to Africa to report and all have emerged new perspectives on reporting internationally, particularly in Africa.
For a time I contributed to the New York Times news site (The Local) as a founding contributor and blogger to the hyper-local news site. and I’ve also been featured on BBC television, ITV television, Brazilian TV, FOX TV, New York 1 and more.
