Type Investigations is pleased to announce that Aviva Shen has been appointed as our Executive Editor, effective immediately. Shen has served as Deputy Editor at Type Investigations for two years, after joining the organization in March 2021 as a Senior Editor.
“Aviva’s innovative approach and editorial excellence have already left an indelible mark on our organization,” said Taya McCormick-Grobow, Executive Director and CEO of Type Media Center. “Her leadership is exactly what we need as we navigate the evolving landscape of investigative journalism and confront the challenges of a rapidly approaching presidential election and beyond.”
During her time as Deputy Editor, Shen managed newsroom operations and launched the Inside/Out Journalism Project for incarcerated reporters, overseeing several stories exposing abusive solitary confinement practices. She has also edited award-winning stories including a High Country News collaboration revealing chaotic conditions inside Washington’s prisons during a record-breaking heat wave and a project with Gulf States Newsroom examining the treatment of Cameroonian asylum seekers in the South.
In her new role as Executive Editor, Shen looks forward to continuing to make investigative journalism more accessible to a broader group of reporters and newsrooms. She is particularly focused on increasing accessibility at a time when the industry is contracting and a Presidential election looms. Along with the rest of the team, Shen is dedicated to changing the culture of who traditionally “gets” to do deep investigative work.
“It’s an honor to lead a team that has brought such creativity and rigor to this work over the years,” said Shen. “I’m immensely proud of what we have already accomplished under Cassi’s guidance and I’m excited to pursue new ways to support independent investigative journalism at a time when the need is so urgent.”
Shen will be succeeding Cassi Feldman, who is moving on to new projects. Feldman has led Type Investigations for four years, during which time she edited award-winning stories in partnership with The New York Times, The New Yorker, THE CITY, Capital & Main, and other prominent outlets. She oversaw the launch of the Springboard Project for local newsrooms as well as the Inside/Out Journalism Project, and helped relaunch the Wayne Barrett Project.
“Aviva Shen is an insightful editor, exceptional leader, and generous mentor,” said former editor-in-chief of Type Investigations Cassi Feldman. “I can’t imagine anyone better equipped to step into this role.”
About Type Investigations
Type Investigations, a project of Type Media Center, is a nonprofit newsroom dedicated to transforming the field of independent investigative journalism. We produce high-impact reporting that amplifies new voices and offers reporters unparalleled opportunities to take risks, break news, and effect change. Type Investigations covers the most urgent issues of our time, including racial and economic justice, climate and environmental health, and civil and human rights.
About Type Media Center
Type Media Center is a non-profit home for independent journalists and truth-tellers at all stages of their careers. Our mission is to produce high-impact journalism and literary nonfiction that addresses injustice and inequality, catalyzes change, informs and uplifts social movements, while transforming and diversifying the fields of journalism and publishing.