Back on the cycle at USA Today

My new journalism job starts Monday

I’m Darren Samuelsohn, and thank you for reading love, journalism. It’s time to share some personal news about my next move in the news business.

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I’m celebrating my 49th birthday on April 7 by reflecting on a two-week vacation to Spain that concluded yesterday and preparing for a new journalism job with USA Today that begins tomorrow.

What a way to kickstart my next spin around the sun as I make the final turn toward the big 5-0.

Our trip was relaxing and exciting and a wonderful way to close out a year packed with accomplishments and adversity. My wife and I consumed our share of ham, cheese and wine. We burned many of those calories aimlessly wandering on the cobblestone streets of Madrid, Salamanca, Cáceres, Seville, Arcos de la Frontera, Ronda, Granada, Toledo and many other places both big and small.

I love how soaking up ancient history in a foreign land helps to put the news cycle into perspective.

Statutes of Spain’s leaders from about 1,000 years ago outside the Royal Palace of Madrid.

The voyage has me energized for the next chapter of my journalism career.

At USA Today, I’ll be the Congress & Campaigns editor during another important election season in America.

I couldn’t be more excited to be back in the news business after a brief bit of downtime following The Messenger’s demise. It had been a stressful period looking for work at a time when so many skilled reporters and editors are in the same situation.

I’m lucky to have this opportunity to get to work in a newsroom full of talented journalists and with the critical assignment of telling stories that matter to all Americans.

Stay tuned to love, journalism and The love, journalism Show as I share more as my journey continues.

I can’t quite promise a regular stream of posts. The news cycle can be a beast, and I also generally try to let my team’s work speak for itself.

At the same time, my Substack has always been aimed at humanizing what journalists do by showing what goes into being a journalist. I’ll do my best to keep that up.

#30#