In addition to lacking a business model and losing millions of dollars every quarter, the Washington Post has been without journalistic leadership since executive editor Marcus Brauchli took over in 2008. Brauchli has sucked the joy out of the newsroom, according to many Posties.
John Temple will be a managing editor a the Washington Post. Photo courtesy of John Temple.
His two managing editors–Raju Narisetti and Liz Spayd–have been equally joyless. Narisetti, who left in February for the Wall Street Journal, was an outsider who never bothered to learn the names of journalists he purported to manage. Spayd, a near lifer at the Post, has the trust of the newsroom but has been shackled to the chore of running the 24/7 news operation. Brauchli is MIA when it comes to walking “the room.”
Enter John Temple, the veteran journalist who will fill Narisetti’s role as the second managing editor. “I know how hard the work of reporting is,” Temple says from his home in Hawaii, where he’s been running Civil Beat, a public-interest digital-news operation. “I really will support the best work they aspire to. I have a loud voice. People will know I’m around.”
Can Temple, 59, revive the Post’s spirit? Many who worked for him at the Rocky Mountain News, where he was publisher before the paper shut down, say Temple has a shot. “I would give John high marks at motivating,” says Mary Winter, who worked under him as an editor for many years. A freelancer, she now contributes to the Columbia Journalism Review. “I can see him firing people up. He’s very charismatic. There could be good chemistry.”
This article appears in the May 2012 issue of The Washingtonian.
Veteran Journalist Brought in to Boost Morale at "Post"
Can John Temple help reenergize the Washington Post newsroom?
In addition to lacking a business model and losing millions of dollars every quarter, the Washington Post has been without journalistic leadership since executive editor Marcus Brauchli took over in 2008. Brauchli has sucked the joy out of the newsroom, according to many Posties.
His two managing editors–Raju Narisetti and Liz Spayd–have been equally joyless. Narisetti, who left in February for the Wall Street Journal, was an outsider who never bothered to learn the names of journalists he purported to manage. Spayd, a near lifer at the Post, has the trust of the newsroom but has been shackled to the chore of running the 24/7 news operation. Brauchli is MIA when it comes to walking “the room.”
Enter John Temple, the veteran journalist who will fill Narisetti’s role as the second managing editor. “I know how hard the work of reporting is,” Temple says from his home in Hawaii, where he’s been running Civil Beat, a public-interest digital-news operation. “I really will support the best work they aspire to. I have a loud voice. People will know I’m around.”
Can Temple, 59, revive the Post’s spirit? Many who worked for him at the Rocky Mountain News, where he was publisher before the paper shut down, say Temple has a shot. “I would give John high marks at motivating,” says Mary Winter, who worked under him as an editor for many years. A freelancer, she now contributes to the Columbia Journalism Review. “I can see him firing people up. He’s very charismatic. There could be good chemistry.”
This article appears in the May 2012 issue of The Washingtonian.
Most Popular in News & Politics
A DNC Official Will Run for Eleanor Holmes Norton’s Seat
Want to Search Donald Trump’s Truth Social Posts? A New Site Is Here to Help.
Another Mysterious Anti-Trump Statue Has Appeared on the National Mall
FBI Building Now on Track to Leave DC After All, Whistleblower Leaks Texts Suggesting Justice Department Planned to Blow Off Federal Court Orders, and NPS Cuts Leave Assateague Island Without Lifeguards
The Washington Nationals Just Fired the Manager and GM Who Led Them to a Championship. Why Has the Team Been so Bad Since?
Washingtonian Magazine
July Issue: The "Best Of" Issue
View IssueSubscribe
Follow Us on Social
Follow Us on Social
Related
How Would a New DC Stadium Compare to the Last One?
The Culture of Lacrosse Is More Complex Than People Think
Did Television Begin in Dupont Circle?
Kings Dominion’s Wild New Coaster Takes Flight in Virginia
More from News & Politics
Arlington Unleashes Robots on Its Sidewalks
Gayle King on Giving Her First Commencement Speech at UMD
Trump Denies He Doodled Naked Lady for Epstein, Youngkin Visits Iowa, and Dan Snyder’s Old House Got Even Cheaper
Senate to Big Bird: Drop Dead; Trump Orders Coca-Cola to Use Sugar; and We Found Great Taiwanese Lunch at a Gas Station
No, You’re Not the Only One Dealing With DCA Flight Anxiety
“Christ or Chaos”: A Conservative Church With Political Ties Comes to Washington
A Look Inside the Spy Museum’s Long-Awaited Vault Collection
Trayon White Wins Election to Replace Trayon White, Trump Claimed His Uncle Taught the Unabomber, and We Tried Some Canadian Snacks