Big news in the online world: Jim Brady resigns at washingtonpost.com

http://www.washingtoncitypaper.com/blogs/citydesk/2008/12/22/brady-to-leave-washingtonpostcom/

Worked with him in a partnership with AOL when he was there. A very solid guy who has been a big influence in the development of online news.

Doesn't say what he's going to do, though.

 

Well, it's big news to me.

Anyway, here's what he says about his departure. I highly doubt he'll have any trouble getting a pretty good job elsewhere soon, even in this economy:

http://www.washingtoncitypaper.com/blogs/citydesk/2008/12/22/jim-brady-talks-about-leaving-washingtonpostcom/

 

Think our response to this thread -- or lack thereof -- as well as Katharine Weymouth's hiring of Marcus Brauchli and putting him in charge of both the print and online operations, despite Jim Brady's presence, just goes to show that we mostly "traditional" journalists still haven't totally embraced the digital side of our jobs/industry.

Not in a way that is really meaningful to us, i.e. we really care about it, the way we have done and obviously still do with newspapers.

We're trying, certainly, and even, succeeding in our efforts, to some extent, now that the focus is shifting out of sheer force and necessity.

But we're not all the way there yet, not really, in terms of commitment and caring -- two things that generally drive journalists.

My thought on Brady's leaving, which I'll give belatedly, was that "Well, I hope his next job is still in this biz, at some other major paper's Web site."

We need people like him, with the history and track record, himself, as well as the ability to teach others to be as up on this stuff, and how to do it well, as he is.

And maybe, just maybe, his enthusiasm for it will rub off, and we'll all learn to like this side of things, and embrace it, as much as he does.

With the all-consuming push toward digital work that Tribune Co. has made over the past few years, and is still making, I'd think Brady would be a perfect guy for them.

Really, I bet he could really help that company's online operations.

Hello, Sam? What do you think?

 

My reaction:

Can't we all just get along? Super-powerful newspaper honchos and an extremely gifted new technology guy, and they go separate ways in a turf war? Stupid.

I can see both sides: Traditional newsroom types don't accept the techies just grabbing the jobs-of-the-future like they've blurted out "Shotgun!" and forevermore get to ride in the premium passenger seat. Techies figure the dead-tree crowd broke their own toy and want to maintain control of playing with the shiny new one.

But really, this sort of drama for an industry in crisis is short-term silly and long-term lethal. Smells like a lose-lose to me. WaPo would be better off having Brady on board and Brady probably would be better off with the WaPo and its resources behind him. But egos and turf and careers get in the way.