A Promotion in Graphics

I am excited to announce that Lazaro Gamio has been promoted to news editor in the Graphics department and joins the backfield. He will lead our breaking news coverage and coordinate our news efforts with the rest of the newsroom, bringing his strong visual lens to our report.

Laz's name is synonymous with breaking news. Already this year, he has covered the capture of Venezuela's president, the seesaw of global tariffs, strikes on energy infrastructure in the Middle East, a plane crash at LaGuardia Airport, problems with the Lincoln Memorial Reflecting Pool and Taylor Swift's wedding.

Laz has worked on almost every major news storyline in his six years at The Times. He was essential to our coverage of the pandemic, tirelessly tracking the virus's ups and downs and crafting memorable A1 graphics. He has covered the wars in Ukraine and the Middle East and published many graphics about tariffs in the chaotic news cycle of 2025.

Laz also brings exceptional liveliness and creativity in his visual storytelling, as seen in this illustration of the flow of oil through the Strait of Hormuz and this interactive network diagram of the president's tangled web of dealmaking. He deftly tackles any subject and never tires of finding new and creative approaches. His work has been recognized with many awards, including a share of two Pulitzer Prizes.

"Laz is a powerhouse: He has the editorial clarity to envision a powerful graphics approach to any story with a minimum of dillydallying - often within moments of news breaking," said Alexandria Symonds, visual editor for Climate who until recently was Laz's editor. "He has an impressive toolbox of skills to see that vision through, as well as the grace and wisdom to guide colleagues as an editor. And, as anyone who has worked with him will tell you, he has infinite reserves of calm and good humor that make even the hardest assignments and latest nights feel at least a little bit fun."

Laz is a frequent collaborator with colleagues in Graphics and across the newsroom and a mentor to early-career journalists.

"Laz is extremely generous, highly productive, fast on news and filled with smart and creative enterprise ideas," said Ashwin Seshagiri, a deputy business editor. "He has an annoying habit of improving every story he works on - whether it's how the Iran war is affecting oil markets, tracking boat strikes in the Caribbean or how disasters unfold."

Before The Times, Laz was a deputy managing editor for visuals at Axios, and he reported and made graphics at The Washington Post and The Miami Herald. Laz is also a 2012 graduate of The New York Times Student Journalism Institute.

Please join me in congratulating Laz on his new role.

- Archie