The Washington Post Magazine is looking for a new editor. Lynn Medford, who became the publication’s editor in 2010, is retiring, according to a memo from Executive Editor Martin Baron and executive features editor Liz Seymour. Here’s the job ad, in case you’re interested in the gig. Here’s Baron and Seymour’s memo:
We are sorry to announce that after 17 distinguished years as an editor at The Post, Lynn Medford is retiring. So many at The Post have benefited over the years from her smart direction and deft editing touch. Her friends populate every corner of our newsroom.
During her time at The Post — which included stints in Style, Metro and the Magazine — Lynn came to be revered as an editor whose ferocity in advocating for her staff was exceeded only by her determination to tell stories that were ambitious, audacious and important. She is an inspired and meticulous line editor who combines Southern charm and a no-nonsense approach to bring out the best in every reporter.
Lynn came to The Post from Baltimore where she was the Sun’s Features Editor. Before that, she spent 15 years editing news and features at The Miami Herald with stars including Michel du Cille, Gene Weingarten, Jeff Leen and Joel Achenbach. She spent six years in Style before moving to Metro as deputy editor and then enterprise editor. She directed the coverage of Obama’s first inauguration and oversaw a sweeping project on childhood obesity that brought together multiple departments in the newsroom and featured online components that were innovative in 2008.
In 2009, Lynn returned to Style. Over the last seven years, she has overseen Style, Style & Arts and most recently the Magazine. She helped lead the 2013 redesign of the Magazine, which featured larger pages (and more of them) as well as a new design and new features at a time when many newspaper magazines were in danger of becoming extinct. The new approach proved to be a big success. Readership and satisfaction with the magazine both improved markedly. The magazine’s eclectic mix endured: One week readers could explore the history of Rock Creek Park, the next week they could find an absorbing portrait of a local doctor treating Ebola patients.
There are many things we will miss about Lynn, not the least of which is her laugh and sometimes indecipherable North Carolina colloquialisms.
Andrew Beaujon joined Washingtonian in late 2014. He was previously with the Poynter Institute, TBD.com, and Washington City Paper. He lives in Del Ray.
