Julie Shain named Editor-in-Chief of the Daily Digest; former EIC Sony Kassam moves into new Executive Editor role as 1440 expands its distinctive approach to content beyond the inbox

CHICAGO, Sept. 23, 2026 /PRNewswire/ — 1440, the knowledge platform for the insatiably curious, today announced an expansion of its editorial leadership team as the company enters its next phase of growth. Julie Shain has been named Editor-in-Chief, overseeing 1440’s flagship Daily Digest, while former Daily Digest Editor-in-Chief Sony Kassam has moved into a newly created Executive Editor position focused on helping extend 1440’s editorial approach across its growing content ecosystem.

The appointments reflect 1440’s continued evolution from a daily newsletter into a broader knowledge platform, while reinforcing the editorial foundation that helped build the company. As 1440 expands the ways audiences can discover and engage with information, the company is investing in the people and infrastructure needed to ensure its voice, standards, and human editorial judgment remain consistent at greater scale.

“1440 has always been built around a simple belief: people deserve information that respects their intelligence, their time, and their curiosity,” said Drew Steigerwald, Chief Content Officer at 1440. “As we expand what 1440 is becoming, strengthening our editorial leadership is essential. Julie and Sony understand what makes our approach distinct, and together they give us the leadership to continue evolving the Daily Digest while bringing the same level of care, judgment, and curiosity to everything we build.”

The investment comes at a time when technology is making it easier than ever to produce and distribute information at enormous scale. For 1440, that has only increased the importance of human editorial judgment: deciding what is worth a reader’s attention, providing the right context, and creating an experience that helps people understand the world without adding to the noise. The company sees its editorial team not simply as producers of individual stories or newsletters, but as a critical layer of infrastructure for building a trusted knowledge ecosystem.

Building on the Daily Digest
Shain will manage and edit 1440’s Daily Digest, which reaches more than 4.5 million daily subscribers, while leading its team of writers and editors. She previously served as deputy editor at 1440 and brings nine years of experience writing and editing daily newsletters that have collectively reached more than 11 million readers. Before joining 1440, she was a senior editor at theSkimm, where she managed its flagship Daily Skimm product.

“The product and the people are what originally drew me to 1440,” said Julie Shain, Editor-in-Chief at 1440. “I was already a reader and admired the Daily Digest for its integrity, clarity, and unique combination of stories. I love the challenge of leading a team of smart, thoughtful people to deliver for readers amid a constantly changing news environment. We all have limited time, and I want the minutes readers spend with 1440 to feel fulfilling and valuable.”

In addition to her experience at theSkimm, Shain previously served as research director for the Counter Extremism Project and has contributed to publications including Forbes, The New Yorker online, McSweeney’s Internet Tendency, and CollegeHumor.

Taking 1440’s Editorial DNA Beyond the Inbox
Kassam’s move into the newly created Executive Editor role reflects a complementary priority: taking the editorial principles developed through the Daily Digest and applying them more broadly as 1440 builds new products and experiences.

During her five years at 1440, Kassam helped guide the Daily Digest from approximately 1 million readers to more than 4.5 million while also developing and hosting 1440 Explores, the company’s flagship podcast. In her new role, she will work across the organization to help build the editorial infrastructure needed to maintain a consistent 1440 voice and standard of quality as the company’s content footprint grows.

“When I joined 1440 in 2021, I believed there was an opportunity to build something different in media: something more factual, trustworthy, human, and less consumed by noise and division,” said Sony Kassam, Executive Editor at 1440. “Now, the opportunity is to take what we’ve learned from building the Daily Digest, from our voice and curiosity to our sense of what’s worth people’s time, and bring that into more of what 1440 creates. I’m excited to help build a more connected 1440 across our people, ideas, and products.”

Before joining 1440, Kassam served as Director of Multimedia and Content Strategy at Becker’s Healthcare and spent five years at Bloomberg Industry Group across editing, reporting, podcasting, and live events. She holds a master’s degree from Northwestern University’s Medill School of Journalism and was recognized as a 2023 Top Women in Media & Ad Tech honoree in the Content Captivators category by AdExchanger and AdMonsters.

Together, the appointments establish complementary editorial leadership for 1440’s next chapter: Shain focused on continuing to evolve and strengthen the flagship Daily Digest, and Kassam focused on helping translate the principles behind its success across a larger and increasingly interconnected knowledge ecosystem.

About 1440
1440 is the knowledge platform for the insatiably curious, delivering fact-focused information curated by human editors to help curious people stay informed and inspired. Scouring hundreds of sources every day, 1440 creates the Daily Digest, a five-minute newsletter and briefing read by 4.5 million subscribers, and Topics, a platform offering deeper explainers and insights across culture, science, business, history, and health. Built on a mission to champion curiosity, clarity, and truth in an age of information overload, 1440 brings verified facts and meaningful context to readers without spin or agenda. For more information, please visit join1440.com.

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SOURCE 1440