ATLANTA (AP) — Brian Murphy, a longtime foreign correspondent who has covered and directed stories from bases in Europe and the Middle East, has been named The Associated Press news editor for Tennessee and Kentucky.
The appointment was announced Thursday by South Editor Lisa Marie Pane.
Murphy was bureau chief based in Dubai, United Arab Emirates, from 2009 until late 2013, when he took a leave of absence to finish his third book. In Dubai, Murphy oversaw coverage of the Gulf Arab states and Iran, and also assisted in coverage of the Arab Spring uprisings. Murphy was part of the AP’s Pulitzer-nominated coverage of Iran’s contested 2009 presidential elections.
“Brian is a proven news leader with a track record for owning the big story,” Pane said. “He is a storyteller at heart with an infectious enthusiasm for digging beneath the surface, for capturing stories in a vivid and textured way. I’m looking forward to seeing him bring those talents to a fascinating part of the U.S.”
From 2007 to 2008, Murphy was an assistant international editor overseeing AP’s coverage of Iraq. Previously, he served as international religion writer, which included coverage of the Islamic world and the papal transition following the death of Pope John Paul II. In 2007, Murphy and AP’s Religion Writer Rachel Zoll won the Wilbur Award for a series on Christian missionaries in Africa.
Murphy joined AP in 1987 as a reporter in Boston. He later worked in Miami and as an editor on the International Desk in New York, before his first overseas posting in 1993 as a correspondent in Rome, where he won the 1995 APME honorary mention for feature writing for a story chronicling the struggles of an African immigrant family in Italy. He was bureau chief in Athens from 1997 to 2004, directing coverage of the preparations for the 2004 Olympics and assisting in coverage of Balkan conflicts.
Murphy has spent the past year working on his third book, which recounts the story of a World War II pilot who survived more than 80 days alone in the Alaska wilderness.
Murphy, 54, is a native of New Jersey and earned a bachelor’s degree from Boston College.
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