Biden names reporter as communications director

Reporting from Washington —  Vice President Biden announced Friday that he was naming Shailagh Murray as his new communications director, choosing one Washington reporter to replace another as his lead spokeswoman.

Murray has covered Capitol Hill and politics for the Washington Post since 2005, and the Wall Street Journal for six years before that. She replaces Jay Carney, the former Washington Bureau chief for Time magazine, who left Biden’s office after two years to become White House press secretary.

“Shailagh’s years of experience covering a broad array of issues ranging from domestic policy to foreign affairs make her uniquely positioned to lead our communications team,” Biden said in a statement. “Her leadership and counsel will be invaluable to me, and to the entire administration.”

Murray, a native of Buffalo, New York, will start in her new role next month.

Washington Post national editor Kevin Merida said Murray’s “sophisticated understanding of issues and an ability to bring big ideas to our pages have served readers well.”

The Obama administration, as others have before it, includes a number of former journalists in its ranks. Jill Zuckman, a former Chicago Tribune reporter, now serves as a spokeswoman for Transportation Secretary Ray LaHood. Geoff Morrell, now the Pentagon spokesman, covered the Bush White House for ABC News before joining that administration in 2007.

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