Christopher Mele Email & Phone Number

New York, New York, United States

As the weekend deputy editor for the breaking news desk at The New York Times, I am the early warning system for spot news and direct a team of reporters to respond. Our portfolio reaches around the globe and extends across a range of subject areas in breaking news: obituaries, politics, culture, foreign affairs, and trending topics. I'm responsible for assigning the reporters, editing the copy and ensuring that we first get it right, then we get it first.

Greater New York City Area

As an assigning editor, I brainstorm story ideas and shepherd them from conception to publication, editing them for clarity, style, SEO friendly headlines and URLs and customary copy editing improvements. I oversee the Express Team on the weekends, taking charge of breaking news coverage, overseeing reporters and editors, coordinating with other desks and helping perfect the story’s digital footprint, especially through social media. The job requires extraordinary attention to detail in tight time constraints and an ability to work cooperatively across multiple departments. I was part of the 2023 Pulitzer Prize finalist team for breaking news coverage of the Bronx fire that claimed 17 lives. I was at the tip of the spear coordinating and mobilizing resources and getting articles published that day.

Greater New York City Area

The Express Team serves as a police scanner for the world, listening and looking for breaking news and trending topics online. I handled night rewrite across all departments and in a moment’s notice, I could be called on to work on an obit, a sports story, news in business or culture or quickly assemble a story in response to breaking news. I was the first to alert the newsroom to the truck attack in Nice, France, for example, and helped get a story swiftly assembled. Emphasis placed on accuracy, immediacy and digital story-telling.

New York

Responsible for copy editing stories for daily Metro pages and weekly Metropolitan section, ensuring they conformed to New York Times style, had no holes in reporting and comported with the tone and standards that readers of The Times expect. Interacted directly with reporters and assigning editors to smooth out questions and did fact-checking on deadline. Served as night slot editor and as editor of the Neediest Cases Fund for the 2015-16 campaign, which raised nearly $5 million for seven nonprofits.

Stroudsburg, Pa.

Transformed a listless community daily into a hard-charging, enterprising newspaper with the teeth and bite of a watchdog. Provided leadership in a newsroom bereft of consistent senior management for some time.As editor, led numerous public service and investigative initiatives; as a manager, oversaw $1 million budget and shepherded newsroom of 27 through a redesign, downsizing and numerous industry challenges while maintaining high editorial standards; and as a coach, helped younger, less experienced reporters improve their skill sets and drill deeper into stories.Raised the bar on expectations, with greater emphasis on stories that surprised readers, gave them something to talk about or that looked out for their interests. Ramped up investigative reporting, public records research and stories drawn from data analysis. Implemented rigorous systems to improve local daily news planning and coverage in two counties. Revamped beats, section fronts and content in print, online and in social media.In my time there, the Pocono Record won more than 80 journalism honors from the Pennsylvania News Media and the Pennsylvania Associated Press Managing Editors associations. It also won PNA’s prestigious Keystone Sweepstakes award every year since 2010 – an unprecedented showing in the history of the newsroom.

Responsible for the Sunday newspaper, a staff of five reporters and newsroom-wide enterprise and investigative initiatives. Infused the Sunday paper with watchdog stories, such as exploring a $7 million increase in police overtime and a week-long series into deplorable conditions in the region’s adult homes. Developed one of the country’s most in-depth online public salary databases, which analyzed nearly 40,000 local salaries.

Managed five-person bureau and initiated numerous newsroom-wide investigations. Pioneered the newspaper’s use of database-driven stories about restaurant inspections, dam and bridge safety, campaign contributions and fatal car crashes. Edited multimedia and special print supplement on investigation into wrongful murder conviction. Oversaw numerous investigative efforts, including stories into overdose death of a jail inmate and public records audits. Led year-long public service campaign about teen driving deaths and coverage that forced the state to install guardrails in the median on Route 17. Specialized in coaching young reporters.

Responsible for covering the region’s pharmaceutical industry, workplace issues and Rockland County business community. Wrote news and feature display stories.

Middletown, N.Y.

Wrote enterprise and investigative stories. Promoted to senior reporter to train newsroom and coach reporters. Uncovered the largest voting fraud of its kind in New York at the time, leading to stricter oversight of voter registration rolls.In a story that took two years, I exposed moonlighting sheriff’s deputies cheating on their timecards. The report sparked four investigations, internal reforms, suspensions and led to an indictment and the end of the sheriff’s political career. Also uncovered a pattern of questionable use of police dogs at the Orange County Jail that led to their removal.

Lake Placid, N.Y.

Covered stories about the development and protection of the Adirondack mountains. Single-handedly wrote two special supplements about Adirondack advocacy groups. Covered municipal, school and police beats, prisons and spot news.

Saranac Lake, N.Y.

Covered municipal, school, police and environmental beats and spot news.