Announcement from Executive Local Editor Jamie Stockwell and Deputy Local Editors Maria Glod and Matt Zapotosky:
We are very happy to announce that Brittany Shammas, a versatile reporter who has spent more than a decade juggling breaking news, investigations and richly reported narratives, is joining the local desk as an enterprise reporter.
Brittany has most recently been a stalwart on the General Assignment desk, where she recently celebrated her fifth anniversary at The Post and has reported on everything from natural disasters and mass casualty events to a "dystopian" Peloton ad and a one-man anti-Trump protest in a deep-red Florida retirement community.
Her coverage has delighted, enlightened and moved readers. When a high-rise condominium building in Florida collapsed a few years ago, Brittany flew to the state and recounted one family's frantic escape. She also contributed to an investigative piece on the cause of the deadly incident. As part of The Post's coronavirus coverage, she followed a grieving family for a narrative project chronicling three of the pandemic's deadliest days, and she detailed how unclear early guidance contributed to vaccine hesitancy and a wave of illness and death among pregnant people. She teamed up with Marisa Iati for deep dives on the ways baseless accusations from true crime fans derailed lives and how efforts to vet romantic matches through “Are we dating the same guy?” Facebook groups have at times spiraled out of control. In the past year, she also filled in as an editor on GA, demonstrating her keen instincts for great stories and steady focus under pressure.
Before joining The Post, Brittany spent eight years as a reporter in Florida. She covered education and public safety for the Naples Daily News and the South Florida Sun Sentinel before working as a staff writer at the alt-weekly Miami New Times. For her reporting on deaths that happened on the watch of a for-profit, Miami-based correctional healthcare company, she was recognized with a Sigma Delta Chi investigative award.
Brittany was born in Florida but grew up in the Midwest. When not working, she can be found scouring Facebook Marketplace, working through a big pile of books and exploring Rock Creek Park.
Brittany's move to Local marks the official launch of the desk’s new enterprise team, which also includes reporters Michael Laris and Marissa Lang and is led by editor Theresa Vargas.
Michael, a Post reporter for more than two decades, has distinguished himself as a graceful writer and generous colleague who brings an eye for accountability and a sense of humanity to his storytelling. His story last year about a Silver Spring scientist who was scammed then saddled with a vast tax bill prompted legislation in Congress, and he played a key role in our coverage of the Key Bridge collapse.
Marissa, an incisive, empathetic reporter with a gift for spotting agenda-setting coverage that drives conversations, has covered some of the most high-profile demonstrations since joining The Post in 2018 and has and written extensively about the rollback of pandemic-era housing guarantees, how gentrification is transforming American cities and the worsening of the housing affordability crisis both locally and nationally. She was on the ground at the U.S. Capitol during the Jan. 6 attack and was part of the team whose coverage was recognized with the Pulitzer Prize for Public Service.
Together, the Local Enterprise Team will dive into some of the region's most important and compelling issues, producing high-impact accountability reporting, incisive narratives and conceptual scoops. They will also frequently collaborate with other reporters across the section and newsroom. As part of that mission, other Local reporters who identify strong enterprise targets will join an open seat on the team on a rotating basis.
Please join us in welcoming Brittany, who officially starts her new role today, and Marissa and Mike to the team.
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