I’ve got some news that may sound prosaic but it’s long overdue. CoinDesk now has a masthead.
When I joined CoinDesk in 2017, one of the first things I noticed was there was no single page listing all our editorial staff members and detailing their roles and contact information. I will be the first to say it was a glaring omission.
For one thing, people pitching stories or lodging complaints (sometimes legitimate) had no simple way to find out which reporters on our staff covered what, which editors managed them or whom to contact about specific topics. Oftentimes pitches would go to the wrong reporter or editor and get lost in the shuffle as messages were routed and rerouted within the team.
“CoinDesk is a black box,” one industry executive complained to us last summer, and not without some justification. That’s certainly not what we want to be. We’re aiming to be more accessible and transparent, and in the coming weeks we’ll be taking additional steps to realize these goals. All CoinDesk, reporters and editors will clearly list the easiest methods of communication in their bios.
Most urgently, we’re also hoping to take the knees out from the scammers impersonating us on Telegram, LinkedIn and potentially other social media platforms. As we previously reported, bad actors have been approaching projects offering the chance to be featured on CoinDesk if they pay a few hundred dollars in crypto.
Sometimes bad actors go as far to copy pages from our site wholesale or send real-looking (but nonetheless fake) newsletters as a way to make their scams seem legitimate. Don’t fall for it – the only CoinDesk is at coindesk.com, and referring to our masthead will ensure you’re connecting with the right people.
We’ve said it before but it bears repeating: CoinDesk journalists will NEVER accept payment for an article. Anyone who makes such an offer is masquerading as one of us, hoping to take advantage of you.
But now we’ve made it a lot easier to contact us. On this page you’ll find our reporters and editors, the areas they specifically cover and their email, Twitter and Telegram handles. You can click through to their bios for additional information.
This is just the start. In 2020, as we continue our reporting in a space riddled with hype and histrionics, we will make it a priority to be as transparent as possible. You’ll see greater efforts to engage with our audiences, online and offline, and invite you to connect with us and air your concerns or questions.
In the meantime, you can continue pitching CoinDesk reporters stories by emailing them directly or contacting news@coindesk.com. Usually, it’s best to contact a reporter about a story within his or her beat directly, and a concise email explaining the project’s background and detailing the news will be more likely to receive an immediate response.
This official masthead for CoinDesk may not be as immutable as a blockchain, but at least now there’s something official for guidance on who we are. Looking forward to connecting!