Michael O'Loughlin (Courtesy photo)
National Catholic Reporter today announced the appointment of award-winning journalist and author Michael J. O'Loughlin as executive editor.
O'Loughlin brings more than 15 years of experience in religion journalism, as a reporter, editor, podcast host and author. For the last nine years he worked at America Media, the Jesuit news and commentary organization, first as national correspondent for seven years and currently as the founding executive director of Outreach, the LGBTQ Catholic news site created by Jesuit Fr. James Martin. In that role, O'Loughlin led multimedia coverage from Rome of the conclave that elected Pope Leo XIV, launched an inaugural endowment fund and increased registration at the organization's national conference by more than 60%.
Recent work by O'Loughlin includes an in-depth profile of an innovative two-year Catholic college in Chicago serving many first generation Americans; a Washington Post op-ed about Leo's first days on the job; and a feature chronicling the challenges facing for-profit Catholic hospitals, which the Catholic Media Association said in its first place, best feature article award was, "crafted with clarity, precision and the kind of skill that reflects true journalistic excellence."
"At this pivotal moment for Catholics around the world and here at home, Mike's deep knowledge of the church, commitment to independent reporting, and proven leadership make him the perfect person to keep NCR moving forward," said Joe Ferullo, CEO/Publisher of the National Catholic Reporter Publishing Co. "We welcome his perspective and energy as we continue to serve Catholic and wider audiences with rigorous, compassionate coverage."
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Before America, O'Loughlin was the national correspondent for Crux, when it was part of The Boston Globe. His writing has also appeared in The New York Times, The Atlantic, Foreign Policy and elsewhere.
O'Loughlin's work — which has been honored with several awards from the Catholic Media Association, the Religion News Association and the National LGBTQ Journalists Association — includes breaking news, analysis, longform features and multimedia packages. He is also the author of the 2021 book, Hidden Mercy, which chronicles the church's response to the HIV and AIDS crisis in the United States, drawing praise from Pope Francis, and he was the host of the podcast series "Plague." His reporting on HIV and AIDS was nominated for a GLAAD media award in 2023 and he has given talks at more than 75 Catholic parishes, universities, medical schools, hospitals and nonprofit organizations in the United States, Canada, the United Kingdom and Italy.
"I am honored to join National Catholic Reporter and to work with its dedicated team of talented journalists," O'Loughlin said. "NCR's commitment to independent reporting, sharp analysis and thought-provoking commentary remains crucial during this unsettled time and I'm excited to join the team as we help bring clarity and understanding to the people, events and circumstances shaping the world and the church."
O'Loughlin holds a master's degree in religion from Yale Divinity School and a bachelor's degree in theology from St. Anselm College, whose alumni association is awarding him its Catholic Leadership Award next month.
O'Loughlin is set to step into the position in January. He will be based in New England.
