In a memo to staff on Monday, Vice President for News and Head of Global Newsgathering Paul Haven announced that Paul Byrne has been named AP’s News Director for Latin America, the Caribbean and Canada.
I’m very pleased to announce that Paul Byrne has been named News Director for Latin America, the Caribbean and Canada, in charge of all-formats coverage in both English and Spanish in a region of more than 30 countries.
Byrne steps in at a time of rapid change in the news industry and at The Associated Press, with a greater emphasis on breaking news, visual journalism and stories that resonate with digital audiences. All are areas he excels at.
Byrne, 48, is a veteran journalist, video producer and newsroom leader who has spent much of his career covering Latin America. A native of Kilkenny, Ireland, he joined AP’s staff in 2014 as senior video producer for Argentina and the Southern Cone, after working as a freelance multimedia journalist for AP and contributing to outlets including the BBC, The Guardian and Ireland’s RTÉ.
Byrne became interim news director for Southern South America in 2018 and was formally appointed to the position the following year, overseeing all-formats coverage in Argentina, Bolivia, Chile, Paraguay and Uruguay. He has held several other senior leadership roles since then, most recently serving as acting news director for Latin America and the Caribbean.
In his AP career, Byrne has covered presidential elections, political upheaval, economic crises, migration, natural disasters, Olympic Games and soccer World Cups, and helped lead coverage in war zones, including Ukraine.
From Venezuela to Cuba, from immigration issues to the complex relationship between Mexico, Canada and the United States, the region has been in the news consistently in 2026. AP has been at its best on the biggest stories.
Byrne takes over from Eduardo Castillo, who became News Director for Greater China earlier this year.
Byrne holds a master’s degree in broadcast journalism from the University of Sheffield and a Bachelor of Business Studies from Cork Institute of Technology. He is the father of two. Away from journalism, he holds a third-degree black belt in karate and has represented Ireland in international competition.
Please join me in congratulating Paul on this promotion.
