WPXI reporter tapped as spokesperson for Westmoreland County DA

WPXI reporter Melanie Gillespie Jones will leave her post at the Pittsburgh television station to become the spokesperson for Westmoreland County District Attorney Nicole Ziccarelli.

Jones, 34, of Somerset County is the station’s Westmoreland County Bureau chief and will begin work with the county Nov. 14.

“Melanie will launch our Crimewatch platform, establish a social media presence, draft press releases, organize press conferences, compile statistics for the general public and increase community awareness and transparency with our office, among other things. With her strong, well-established network of contacts in the news media and the community, I have every confidence that Melanie will prove to be an excellent resource for the Office of District Attorney and Westmoreland County,” Ziccarelli said in an emailed statement Monday.

County commissioners, along with Ziccarelli, increased the salary for the newly created job by 50% in October, to $75,000 a year, after they spent months unable to fill the position at its initial pay level.

Upon taking office in January, Ziccarelli restricted her office staffers and lawyers from speaking publicly with the media. In announcing several high-profile arrests, Ziccarelli convened news conferences during which she read prepared statements but did not field questions from reporters.

Jones will serve primarily as Ziccarelli’s public information officer, but she also will assist other county departments with media relations when needed, county officials said.

“I am extremely grateful for my time at WPXI and getting the opportunity to report the news in my hometown. It is every reporter’s dream. I’ve established a great foundation in Greensburg and Westmoreland County as a bureau reporter, and I’m looking forward to building on that foundation and serving Westmoreland County in a new capacity,” Jones said.

WPXI is a news partner with the Tribune-Review.