Host & Producer
Eugene Puryear is a longtime journalist and community organizer currently-based in New York City. Eugene helped to organize a number of the large-scale demonstrations that took place against the continuing U.S. war and occupation of Iraq and Afghanistan, he was a key leader In the struggle to free the Jena Six in 2007, and a founder of the anti-gentrification group Justice First, the Jobs Not Jails coalition, DC Ferguson Movement and Stop Police Terror Project-D.C. Puryear is the author of the book Shackled and Chained: Mass Incarceration in Capitalist America, and spent five years in radio prior to helping found BT News.
Host & Producer
Rania Khalek is a Middle East-based journalist for Breakthrough News. Her work has also appeared at The Grayzone, The intercept, Truthout, Fairness and Accuracy in Reporting, Al Jazeera, The Nation, Salon, AlterNet, Vice and more.
Editor-in-Chief
Ben Becker is a New York City-based journalist and historian, who has edited several books including Shackled and Chained and Imperialism in the 21st Century. He holds a Ph.D. in History from the City University of New York, where he also taught classes on the Civil Rights Movement and Labor History. He previously worked as a National Organizer with the anti-war ANSWER Coalition, which led mass protests against U.S. interventionism in Latin America, Africa, Asia and the Middle East.
Managing Editor of BT Disrupters
Rachel Hu is a New York City based journalist, designer, and Asian American anti-war activist. She is the host of CovertAction Bulletin the official podcast of CovertAction Magazine which airs on 99.5FM in NYC. She has also been a community organizer for nine years fighting against police terror and racism. Rachel has seven years of experience in design, and two years of experience in motion design. Rachel's design direction of the aesthetics of BreakThrough News reflects her deep passion for bringing modern design to left media.
Journalist
Kei Pritsker is a New York based journalist and activist. He has previously reported for Mintpress News.
Producer
Nicole Roussell is a producer with BreakThrough News and has spent five years in radio production. She is also a longtime activist based in Washington D.C.
Video Editor
Matt Belen is a video editor with six years of experience as well as a background in film. Other outlets Matt has worked for are Vice News, Buzzfeed, MTV, Means TV, and more.
Operations Manager
Emily Brease is a New York City based activist and Operations Manager for BreakThrough News. She has over 8 years of nonprofit operations experience and has been a community organizer in Brooklyn since 2016.
Social Media Manager
Jackie Kindall is a community organizer based in Brooklyn and she has 8 years experience as a social media manager and producer.
Graphic Designer & Video Editor
Andrew Nance is a graphic designer and grassroots organizer from Los Angeles. He previously worked as the communications coordinator for the National Committee for Justice in Denver. He was also the founder and creative director of the online magazine Avalanche.