The Baltimore Banner is adding to its reporting presence in Baltimore County, building more capacity to cover the communities and issues shaping daily life across the county.

The Banner recently hired veteran journalist and editor Lisa Lednicer to lead its Baltimore County coverage. Later this summer, reporter Olivia Bensimon will join the team, bringing the Baltimore County staff to six journalists. Bensimon’s role is funded in part by Report for America.

“These talented journalists will allow us to dramatically increase the quality and amount of news we provide to residents of Baltimore County — a rapidly changing region that’s also one of the largest counties in Maryland,” said Audrey Cooper, editor-in-chief of The Banner. “We think the residents of Baltimore County deserve the highest quality local news, and these investments reflect our promise to provide exactly that.”

Lednicer comes to The Banner from The Washington Post, where she led coverage of several impactful stories, including the crash of a plane in the Potomac River in 2025 and President Donald Trump’s takeover of the D.C. police force. She has taught writing at the University of Maryland and is the co-author of a food book, “Extreme Barbecue.”

“I am so glad to be leading a team of reporters who are passionate about Baltimore County,” Lednicer said. “Together we will continue making The Banner an indispensable news source for readers in the county and across Maryland.”

Bensimon is moving to Maryland from New York City. Her work has appeared in The New York Times and several local news outlets. At The Banner she will report on the people, communities and issues that matter to readers across Baltimore County.

“I am thrilled to be joining The Banner and covering Baltimore County,” Bensimon said. “Local news that keeps communities informed and holds institutions accountable has always been my purpose in journalism, and independent newsrooms like The Banner are essential to that work. I’m grateful for this opportunity, which would not have been possible without the support of Report for America, whose investment in local news is making a real difference for newsrooms and readers across the country. I can’t wait to meet people across Baltimore County and tell the stories that matter to them.”

Bensimon joins The Banner as a corps member through Report for America, a national program that recruits, places and supports journalists in local newsrooms across the country. The program provides salary support, training and newsroom sustainability coaching, helping participating news organizations expand coverage of important, often overlooked communities and issues. For The Banner, it provides additional reporting capacity as the newsroom continues to deepen its commitment to Baltimore County.

Bensimon is one of 78 journalists selected for Report for America’s 2026-27 cohort from a competitive pool of more than 1,600 applicants. The incoming journalists will serve in 73 newsrooms across the country, with assignments beginning in July. Since launching in 2017, Report for America has matched more than 800 journalists with local news organizations nationwide.

About The Baltimore Banner

We inform, strengthen and inspire the communities we serve by providing trusted journalism that tells people’s stories, holds leaders accountable and delivers a wide range of local news that readers are eager to support.

About Report for America

Report for America recruits, places and supports talented journalists in local newsrooms across the United States. It provides salary support, training and newsroom sustainability coaching, enabling its partners to expand coverage on critical, often overlooked issues and strengthen trust with their audiences. Report for America’s journalist-first model offers a practical, hopeful solution to rebuilding local news — one community at a time. Report for America is an initiative of Report Local, a nonprofit journalism organization dedicated to strengthening local journalism across the U.S. and around the world.