Resume
Khari Johnson
kharijohnson@gmail.com • kharijohnson.com • (415) 756-7232
EXPERIENCE
Senior Staff Writer at WIRED from 04/2021 to present
I write stories about how AI and other forms of technology help or harm humanity
Senior AI Staff Writer at VentureBeat from 06/2016 to 03/2021
Write in-depth stories and breaking news about artificial intelligence and issues at the intersection of ethics and policy as well as advances in natural language processing, computer vision, and deep learning. Covering AI means regular conversations with academic researchers, regulators, and lawmakers as well as startups, tech giants, and other makers of emerging technology. As part of my duties I also moderate or take part in panels at conferences in the U.S. and Europe. I write the AI Weekly newsletter and was the first editorial hire to build what is now VentureBeat’s AI channel
Founder/Editor of Through the Cracks: Crowdfunding in Journalism from 08/2014 to 04/2018
Research and analyze crowdfunding campaigns with a remote team to unearth best practices for independent journalists including news startups, photographers, and documentary filmmakers Advise independent media entrepreneurs on how to fund their reporting and storytelling
Staff Writer at NewCo Shift from 08/2015 to 04/2016 in San Francisco
Wrote the NewCo Daily newsletter and reported stories about the future of work, entrepreneurial ecosystems, the gig economy, and converging trends changing businesses and cities. As the company’s first full-time editorial hire, I helped craft NewCo’s editorial voice and help readers discover stories about startups driven by purpose and profit
Community Manager at Scoopshot from 09/2014 to 12/2014 in Helsinki, Finland
Created tasks based on trending topics and international news for a global community of hundreds of thousands of smartphone photographers. I also curated top photo and video content to share on social media channels like Facebook and Twitter
Editor at Patch (AOL/HuffPost Media Group) from 08/2010 to 01/2014 in Imperial Beach and La Mesa, Calif.
As founder of Imperial Beach Patch, I worked with freelancers and engaged citizens to report breaking news, features, and general assignment stories. I also managed social media channels, moderated website activity, held user generated content training sessions, and wrote the Your Town column about upcoming city council meetings
Video Producer at Media Arts Center of San Diego from 04/2010 to 08/2010 in San Diego, Calif.
Shot, edited and published videos about people and issues featured in voiceofsandiego.org articles for The People’s Post, a partnership between Media Arts Center of San Diego, Knight Foundation, and voiceofsandiego.org
Contributing Writer at SDNN.com from 09/2009 to 06/2010 in San Diego, Calif.
Reported politics and general assignment stories with a combination of text, photography, and video journalism
Intern at South Florida Sun Sentinel (Tribune Company) from 06/2008 to 08/2008 in Delray Beach, Fla.
Assigned to Metro and Online desks covering breaking news, events and enterprise stories; one of two reporters dispatched to Denver, Colo. to cover the 2008 Democratic National Convention for sunsentinel.com
Writing Coach/Researcher at Center for the Integration and Improvement of Journalism from 09/2007 to 05/2008 in San Francisco
Advisor and coach to Mission High School newspaper staff, and researcher for the 2008 Native American Journalism Association’s Reading Red Report
Intern at Colorado Springs Gazette (Freedom Comm.) from 05/2007 to 08/2007 in Colorado Springs, Colo.
Covered breaking news, events, and enterprise stories for the Metro desk ranging from obituaries to crime, military, and local government
Fact Checker/Intern at Business 2.0 Magazine (Time Inc.) from 01/2005 to 05/2007 in San Francisco
Worked with reporters and editors to fact check tech and business stories scheduled for publication
EDUCATION
B.A., Journalism with emphasis in print and online, Political Science minor, San Francisco State University, June 2008
As part of the Europe in the World international journalism program, I reported stories from Denmark, France, Holland, Italy and Turkey alongside classmates from the U.S. and European nations. Courses that accompanied these reporting projects were held at Hogeschool Utrecht in Holland and the Danish School of Media and Journalism from fall 2005 to spring 2006
SKILLS
– Researcher with an appetite for data, peer-review and preprint studies, and scientific conferences
– Passionate about making complicated matters understandable and accessible
– A storyteller with a history of building community who believes in the importance of engagement and listening
– Self-starter with more than a decade of experience working with online news outlets and niche publications
– Photographer with an eye for visuals and background working for news organizations, nonprofits, and photo studios
– Proficient user of software like Microsoft Office, Adobe Creative Cloud, and Apple’s FinalCutPro
– Great smile
– Follower of developer frameworks and tools used to train and deploy artificial intelligence with a history of following emerging trends in technology
– Open-source intelligence (OSINT) and computer-assisted reporting enthusiast with a growing interest in how to use AI to augment journalists
AWARDS
– Patch PROPS Award in 2013 for maintaining low expenses and high engagement, traffic and revenue. This bi-annual award was given to four employees a year among 1,000 local editors nationwide
– 1st Place, San Diego Press Club Awards in General News, Daily Newspapers and Websites category for “Ecological Heart Attack Feared if IB Sand Closes Tijuana River” in 2013
– Recipient of Florida Society of Newspaper Editors and Knight Foundation scholarship in 2010
– Voted honors hood recipient by SF State Journalism faculty; gave commencement speech at department graduation
– 2003 and 2004 San Diego Association of Black Journalists scholarship winner