Shani Olisa Hilton (born 1986) is an American journalist and media executive, formerly the Deputy Managing Editor at the Los Angeles Times.[1][2][3] Prior to the Times, Hilton was the executive editor at BuzzFeed News.[4]
Only a few years out of college,[6] Hilton joined Buzzfeed in 2013 as senior editor, after working at Washington City Paper[7] and NBC Washington. She was promoted to executive editor in September 2014.[8]Politico has called her "the youthful conscience of Buzzfeed News"[9] and Recode calls her "Buzzfeed's Newsmaker in Chief."[10] The New York Observer named her to a list of "10 Players in Media You Must Hire."[11]
Hilton is regularly cited as an expert on topics like journalistic ethics,[12]millennial audiences for newsmedia,[13] and diversity in the newsroom.[14][15] She wrote a widely cited essay on the subject in 2014, entitled "Building A Diverse Newsroom Is Work."[16]