ESPN is beefing up its editorial department.
Roxanna Scott has been hired for a newly created position in which she will be the top editor at ESPN across all of TV and digital newsgathering, including investigative reporting and enterprise journalism, sources told Front Office Sports. Her official title will be SVP, editor-in-chief. She will be based at company HQ in Bristol, Conn., reporting to Dave Roberts.
Scott spent nearly 20 years as a sports editor at USA Today, including three years as executive editor and VP. For the last several months, she has been the managing editor of the daily desk at The Athletic.
An ESPN spokesperson declined to comment, and Scott could not be reached.
On the digital front, ESPN has had significant turnover in the editorial ranks this year. Executive editor Cristina Daglas was placed on administrative leave and ultimately left the company after HR complaints. Daglas ultimately landed a role in the front office for the Washington Wizards and Mystics. Senior deputy editor Elizabeth Baugh was also sidelined amid the investigation; she left for a role in marketing, communications, and branding at Ring Magazine. Heather Burns, the senior deputy editor for NFL coverage, also left the company.
Scott’s hire is something of a return to an old structure for ESPN, where former Boston Globe sports editor Vince Doria helmed the news desk for many years. Doria retired in 2015.
