In a memo, Washington Post Executive Editor Marcus Brauchli confirms a report by Politico’s Dylan Byers that Liz Spayd is leaving the Washington Post.
Colleagues, by now you will have seen the reports that Liz Spayd plans to step down as managing editor at the end of this year, after the election. We hadn’t intended for the news to filter out in this way or at this time, but, since it has, let me set it in context.
Since my arrival four years ago and for many years before that, Liz has piloted this newsroom through events of immense complexity and importance. She is a bulwark of sound judgment upon whom we all have come to depend, whose views are reasoned and thoughtful. She is steeped in this great institution’s traditions and has ensured we honor them in our journalism, in whatever form, on whatever platform, at whatever speed we produce it. She epitomizes the best of The Post.When Liz leaves, and we’re in no hurry to set an exact date for that, we will miss her, nobody more than I. By that time, we will have given more thought to how or if we should adjust our newsroom structure.
Until then, we will continue as we have been, producing under Liz’s leadership the strongest, smartest and deepest coverage of our communities, our area and our nation.
Spayd is the first female managing editor at The Washington Post. Spayd has worked at the Post since 1988 and held a variety of positions at the paper. She moved from the paper’s print newsroom to become editor of washingtonpost.com, which used to operate from a different newsroom than the paper. After the newsrooms merged, Spayd and Raju Narisetti were named co-managing editors of the paper.
Spayd reportedly took advantage of the paper’s most recent round of buyouts; other takers include Robert Pierre, Joanna Hernandez and Theola Labbé-DeBose.
Narisetti left the Post earlier this year for The Wall Street Journal, and Katharine Zaleski, the Post’s executive director of digital news, announced she was leaving to join Planet Daily, a video startup. The Post hired John Temple, formerly the editor of the Rocky Mountain News and Honolulu Civil Beat, to be a managing editor in March.
