Dwayne Desaulniers was the global director of the Associated Press’s news distribution prior to being named director of the local media for New England. | Photo courtesy: Dwayne Desaulniers
After nearly 10 years at the Associated Press (AP), Desaulniers was recently named the news cooperative’s director of local media for New England, based in Boston.
In addition to overseeing AP’s relationship with its members in the New England states, Desaulniers now explores business development opportunities in the commercial and technology sectors.
“When the internet hit in the mid-’90s, I had a feeling that it was going to change the face of journalism,” Desaulniers says. “And I knew that I didn’t want to be a bystander.”
Living in the moment has allowed Desaulniers to cherish personal milestones such as reporting assignments for the Standard Broadcasting Corporation in over a dozen countries, including Qatar — where he covered the first Gulf War in 1991. But his forward thinking through the last two decades of his career has been instrumental in his ascent in one of the world’s best known news organizations.
And while many people think technological advancements pose a threat to journalism, Desaulniers embraces change.
“I just love what technology can do with the superb journalism that the AP creates,” he says. “And Boston is a real technology hub.”
Desaulniers’ optimistic outlook is no surprise. In 2009, he earned his MBA with a focus on technology and biotechnology from the Athabasca University School of Business in Alberta. He also played a key role in AP’s migration from satellite to web-based delivery.
Earlier in his career, he witnessed how technology introduced in the late 1980s enabled reporters to feed information to their newsrooms more quickly and efficiently.
“I remember during the free trade debate being on the floor of the [Canadian] senate with a cellphone — and as big as those things were, they gave us a lot more freedom than we were used to,” Desaulniers recalls.
Following his days as a reporter, Desaulniers took on leadership positions at several companies including the Canadian Press and, more recently, AP. The new lifestyle provided him with a more stable family life compared to his unpredictable days as a reporter.
He also relished the opportunity to influence news coverage by developing organizational standards and shaping the way it is delivered.
Now, as director of local media for New England, Desaulniers feels as if he is returning to some of his old habits from his reporting days — sort of.
“You could say I’m out in the field more,” he reveals with a laugh, acknowledging the contrast with his prior functions where he largely worked from AP headquarters. “I visit newsrooms and our customers three to four times per week and meet with software developers,” he adds.
Desaulniers summarizing his new role: “My job is to understand technology.”