Media

2 media vets emerge in Twitter’s search for news chief

Two new names have surfaced in Twitter’s search for a high-profile head of news.

Jim Roberts, who is stepping down as executive editor of Reuters Digital, and Vivian Schiller, the chief digital officer of NBC News, are both said to be in the running, according to sources.

Roberts, who announced he was leaving two weeks ago when Reuters shut down the two-year old Next project, told the Post, “I’m still at Reuters. I’m contemplating what to do next.”

Schiller could not be reached at presstime.

Emily Bell, the former US editor for the UK’s The Guardian and the current director of the Tow Center of the Columbia Graduate School of Journalism, is also said to have been approached but turned it down.

Twitter, which is on the cusp of its debut as a public company, has transformed the way journalists and the general public get their breaking news with 140-character tweets.

The company is looking for a news veteran to serve as a liaison between media outlets and stress Twitter’s role in the newsgathering process.