A quick announcement to friends and readers:
As many of you know, I have spent the last six months on book leave, with the intent of returning to a new position at the Times, based in New York. During that time I have also being thinking hard about the future, and as of this week have left The Times to pursue a different path.
Journalism is going through tectonic changes. To some, this is a very scary time for our profession. Like many colleagues, I have observed the shrinking of American newsrooms with concern, and watched closely the continuing decline in print readership along with the price of newspaper stocks. With that has come a caution and paranoia in American newsrooms that is not healthy for the vibrant debate crucial to a democratic society.
To me, this is a very exciting time. The shifting winds are bringing with them new opportunities to reshape the form our journalism takes, and to reignite the enthusiasm of readers. The web provides us with endlessly rich tools to pursue our craft, and to create communities who engage in dialogue with writers, readers and with the people we cover. I have been busy gathering a team of top people to pursue that very goal, and hope to be able to announce a concrete project in the next few months.
In the meantime, thanks for keeping the faith.
Sharon.
