New York Times appoints first African East Africa correspondent

The New York Times has appointed Abdi Dahir, a renowned journalist as the first African correspondent for East Africa. This comes after an online petition against former bureau chief Kimiko de Freytas-Tamura, following insensitive reporting after a terrorist attack in Nairobi. Kenyans protested the paper’s publication of dead African bodies, forcing one of the New York Times’ Twitter accounts to be temporarily taken down. Subsequently, the New York Times was called out for an insensitive ad over the Nairobi job.

The online community congratulated Dahir on his appointment.