MediaWire Memo
Last year, Pulitzer Prize-winning Washington Post reporter Sari Horwitz was suspended from the paper for plagiarizing from the Arizona Republic. Today its national editors announced she’ll be covering the Justice Department, replacing Jerry Markon, who’s “taking on a new assignment focusing on political enterprise and accountability reporting.”
Horwitz worked for the Post’s investigative unit, identified as a department from which up to three employees would be eligible for the paper’s recently announced buyouts. The investigative team was responsible for last week’s excellent series on congressional earmarks that benefited individual lawmakers or their families.
Memo from national editors Kevin Merida, Cameron Barr, and Barbara Vobejda after the jump. || Related: The latest Washington-Post-at-a-Crossroads-or-about-to-die story
We are pleased to announce that Jerry Markon, who has been a terrific Justice Department reporter the past two years, is taking on a new assignment focusing on political enterprise and accountability reporting.
Jerry is known for the energy and urgency he brings to everything he covers, confirmed by the many stories he broke at Justice. His work also has included notable enterprise on subjects ranging from the department’s push to take on tough state immigration laws to its complicated relationship with American Muslims. He will bring added reporting firepower to our campaign team, and already is at work examining important aspects of the contenders’ lives and backgrounds.
We are fortunate that Sari Horwitz from Investigative is stepping in to cover Justice. Sari has reported on law enforcement with great distinction for two decades at the Post. She is widely admired for her ability to develop sources, and brings a wealth of expertise to this new assignment, including coverage of homeland security and social services.
Sari has shared three Pulitzer Prizes for her work here and has been at the center of such major crime stories as the Virginia Tech shootings and the Chandra Levy murder mystery. Her knowledge of police agencies and complex investigations will serve her well in covering the Justice Department.
Please congratulate Jerry and Sari on their new roles.
Kevin   Cameron   Barbara
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