Joe Konig set to energize politics beat at The Press

The politics/police desk at The Riverdale Press is getting a new look with the addition of Joseph Konig to the newspaper’s staff.

Konig, himself a third-generation journalist, joins The Press after a reporting stint with the Norwood News. Here, however, he’ll shift his focus from the community board there to Community Board 8, as well as continue his award-winning work covering elected officials like Councilman Andrew Cohen, Assemblyman Jeffrey Dinowitz, state Sen. Alessandra Biaggi and U.S. Rep. Eliot Engel.

Konig studied journalism at Stony Brook University on Long Island and George Washington University in Washington, D.C. After spending time at both stops reporting for hyperlocal outlets, Konig returned to the Bronx to work under David Cruz at the Norwood paper. There he covered landlord-tenant conflicts, the fallout of Biaggi’s victory over state Sen. Jeffrey Klein, the rise of Alexandra Ocasio-Cortez, the deterioration of the New York City Housing Authority, food deserts, and the recent public advocate’s race.

Last month, Konig shared third place in coverage of local government at the New York Press Association’s 2018 Better Newspaper Contest with Cruz and David Greene. It was one of eight total statewide awards won by the Norwood News.

And Konig will have some seriously large shoes to fill. He replaces Zak Kostro, who joined The Press in October 2017, and has departed to join the writing staff of quarterly magazine Whisky Advocate, which explores the lifestyle and business of the popular distilled spirit.

Kostro won three awards in the statewide press association contest, sharing third place with editor Michael Hinman for coverage of elections and politics, another third place with The Press staff for best news story, and an honorable mention in the same category.  That helped account for 10 statewide wins by The Press — more than any other single newspaper in New York City.

“I’m very excited to have Joe join our team, and by looking at some of the feedback on social media, it seems the community feels the same way,” Hinman said. “We are a newspaper defined by how we cover government and politics in general, and Joe will help take that desk — and the paper — to the next step.”

Konig ended up on the path to journalism inspired by his mother and grandfather, the latter a Manhattan College alum whose archives are held at the O’Malley Library on campus. He was drawn to community journalism after growing up watching hours-long board meetings in his Westchester hometown, where his mother was a village trustee.

Outside of community journalism, Konig has covered live music, Division I football, what he describes as one of the best collegiate women’s lacrosse teams the world has ever seen at Stony Brook, and television.

Reach Joseph Konig at (718) 543-6065, Ext. 324, or at jkonig@riverdalepress.com.