Ezra Klein is leaving the Washington Post [View all]

[octoberlib]

The Washington Post announced Tuesday that its star economics blogger Ezra Klein will be leaving the paper to start a new venture.

"When Ezra joined us in 2009, he was a wunderkind blogger with brash confidence and a burning desire to write a column in the print newspaper," Post editors wrote in a memo to staff. "As he leaves us, Ezra is still a brash wunderkind, but now his burning desire has a grander scope: He is looking to start his own news organization, an ambition that befits someone with uncommon gifts of perception and analysis. Ezra’s passion and drive will be missed, but we will take pride in watching him chart out his new venture."

The move comes after weeks of discussions between Klein and the Post brass over Klein's future, including a proposal by Klein to start the new venture in-house with more than three-dozen staffers and a multi-year budget of at least $10 million. The Post declined that proposal.

Melissa Bell, the Director of Platforms at the Post, and Dylan Matthews, a member of Klein's "Wonkblog" team, will also be leaving to take part in the new venture.

http://www.politico.com/blogs/media/2014/01/ezra-klein-out-at-washington-post-181583.html

http://www.poynter.org/latest-news/mediawire/236466/washington-post-announces-ezra-klein-is-leaving/