AP names Jerusalem bureau chief Gutkin to oversee ongoing Gulf oil spill coverage

AP names editor to oversee oil spill coverage

ATLANTA — The Associated Press has named a veteran journalist who has covered wars, terrorism and political intrigue in more than two dozen countries to lead its ongoing coverage of the Gulf of Mexico oil spill.

Oil Spill Editor Steven Gutkin, who for the past six years has been Jerusalem bureau chief, will be based in Atlanta and oversee a team of reporters and editors dedicated to covering the cleanup and fallout from one of the worst environmental disasters in U.S. history. He will report to the South regional editor.

“It would be hard to imagine a stronger track record of handling big, complex stories,” said Senior Managing Editor Michael Oreskes, who announced Gutkin’s appointment Tuesday. “This story will be with us, and with the people of the Gulf Coast, for a good long time to come, so we are taking steps to set up for this long haul.”

Gutkin has reported from the Middle East, Asia, Africa and the Americas. As bureau chief in Jerusalem he has led AP’s coverage of such events as the Lebanon war, the Gaza war, the Israeli withdrawal from Gaza, Hamas’ bloody takeover of Gaza, the death of Yasser Arafat, Ariel Sharon’s stroke, suicide bombings, rocket attacks and the Obama-Netanyahu fight over settlements.

Gutkin also served as AP bureau chief in Caracas, Singapore, Jakarta and Jerusalem. He also spent several years reporting from Colombia, and helped cover the wars in Afghanistan and Iraq.

Before joining the AP, he reported for CBS Radio, the New York Times, the Washington Post and Newsweek.

Gutkin has served as chairman of the Foreign Press Association in Israel. He has a degree in international relations from Pomona College and a master’s degree from the Columbia University Graduate School of Journalism. He is married and has two young sons.