The new Capitol News Bureau reporter for the New York Public News Network starts this week.
You may have heard Jeongyoon Han on your airwaves before or read some of her stories — she brings a wealth of experience reporting for national and local public radio on politics and policy.
"In a lot of ways, it's a homecoming for me,” Han said.
Han is from Syracuse, and she attended Williams College, where she got her degree in political science and Chinese. She wrote for the school newspaper there and ultimately served as editor in chief.
She got her start in professional journalism as an intern at WAMC Northeast Public Radio in Albany.
After that, she worked for NPR Weekend Edition in Washington, D.C.; New Hampshire Public Radio in Concord; and then NPR again, this time on the road in various swing states covering the presidential election.
"It was really fun to talk with voters across the country about the different issues that they cared about, what is driving them to vote, and thinking about politics from a voters-first perspective," Han said. "And I wanted to keep doing that after the election.”
WXXI News Executive Editor Denise Young said Han was hired after an extensive search and interview process that involved a panel of public news leaders from across the NYPNN.
"We're all very excited to have Jeongyoon on board," Young said. "We know that she's intensely interested in reporting stories on issues that affect all New Yorkers and will tell them on the air and through various digital platforms to reach audiences where they are."
Former Capitol News Bureau Chief Karen DeWitt retired earlier this year after a distinguished career of 30-plus years in public radio. Her time in Albany spanned six governors and more than a dozen legislatures.
Han said she knows she has big shoes to fill.
“It's hard to think of all the respect, knowledge, connections, credibility that she's gained over three decades-plus at this point ... that's hard to replicate at all,” Han said.
Han starts at a pivotal moment for the state government. In the coming weeks, lawmakers will begin discussing everything from fixing key programs to housing affordability and the massive state budget. And they'll do so as President-elect Donald Trump takes office and works to implement his national agenda.
But she said she’s looking forward to the challenge.
“I know it's going to take a little bit of time. ... But I am really excited at the opportunity to cover the state, because, like Karen, this is my state," Han said. "I love it dearly. I want to make sure that the coverage that I make about this state is fair and accurate to everyone involved. So it's a real honor to do this job, and I can't wait to get started."
