BillyPenn.com Adds Second Reporter

Mark Dent has covered Penn State for the Pittsburgh Post-Gazette.

BillyPenn.com has hired its second — and, for now, final — reporter to staff as it prepares for a full launch this fall: Mark Dent joins from the Pittsburgh Post-Gazette, where he covered Penn State.

Editor Chris Krewson announced Dent’s hiring Tuesday morning:

Mark Dent, an award-winning reporter for the Pittsburgh Post-Gazette and the Dallas Morning News, has joined Billy Penn as its second Reporter/Curator.

Mark, who covers Penn State for the largest newspaper in Pennsylvania’s second-biggest city, earned the 2013 Keystone Press Award for covering the university — both on the football field and in court, during the criminal proceedings against Jerry Sandusky as well as campus administrators. Prior to the P-G, Mark covered prep sports for the Morning News, the 400,000-circulation major metro daily newspaper in Dallas, Tex. In his spare time, he launched The Brew House, an award-winning blog that celebrates sportswriting. He’s a graduate of the University of Kansas. You can follow Mark on Twitter here.

“Philadelphia is such a cool place. And right now it is changing and growing,” Mark says. “I believe Billy Penn can help Philly residents understand everything that is happening within the city’s many communities and strengthen a mutually beneficial relationship between Philadelphia and the people who live here.”

We’re very excited for Mark to complete Billy Penn’s editorial team before the site rolls out this fall, and we can’t wait for him to arrive. Mark’s first day is October 5.

Dent joins two other news-side hires: Anna Orso joined as a reporter from the Harrisburg Patriot-News, and WHYY veteran Shannon McDonald will be its “community manager.”

BillyPenn.com is being helmed by Jim Brady, known for his work at WashingtonPost.com, TBD.com, and Digital First Media. The site launched its first product, a daily newsletter, this week.