Iris Lee has been promoted to assistant editor, news applications for the Los Angeles Times

Iris Lee

Press release | Los Angeles times

The following announcement was made on behalf of data and graphics editor Ben Welsh:

I am pleased to announce that Iris Lee has been promoted to Assistant Editor, News Applications.

In this newly created position, Lee will lead the development of data-driven projects such as our Forest Fire Map, Quakebot, and Live Election Results. She will also try to analyze the data collected by our apps for corporate work.

Since joining The Times in 2017, Lee has played a pivotal role in our coverage of a wide variety of topics, including criminal justice, public health, and education. Her achievements include extensive coverage of police killings, the scourge of domestic violence, and the trauma that students experience after murders near schools. She was a leader of ambitious additions to our coronavirus tracker, the most popular site in latimes.com history. Over the past few months, Lee has been charting the challenges of LAUSD reopening and anchoring the design for our effective analysis of bike stops by the LA County Sheriff’s Deputies.

In all of this, she has excelled as a hardworking analyst and experienced computer programmer who is sure to master any challenge.

“Iris is one of the most competent and brilliant people I have ever worked with,” said Sonali Kohli, a former reporter for the Times. “If she thinks something can be better, she doesn’t bother.”

Lee’s work has been recognized by the Education Writers of America, Online News Assn., Society of Professional Journalists, Society for News Design and Peace Over Violence.

She joined The Times through the MetPro Scholarship Program. She previously worked for the San Fernando Valley Business Journal.

Lee holds a degree in Chemistry and International Studies from UC Irvine. She holds a Masters Degree in Journalism from USC, where she now teaches.

It starts on November 29th. Please join me in thanking her for playing this important role.