More bad news for Newsweek — and another coup for the National Journal.
On Monday, the National Journal Group announced that Newsweek senior editor Michael Hirsch is joining the magazine as a chief correspondent "covering the critical intersection of economic policy, foreign policy, and politics." Hirsch, Newsweek’s national economics correspondent, had also served as its Web editor.
"You can't be a big-picture, high-impact media organization without a big-picture, high-impact writer and reporter," National Journal Group editor-in-chief Ron Fournier crowed in a statement announcing his latest poaching.
So, just to recap, that’s editor-in-chief Jon Meacham; editor-at-large Evan Thomas; international editor Fareed Zakaria, who had been on the shortlist of Meacham replacements; and editorial director Mark Miller — all opting to leave Newsweek ahead of its sale to audio equipment magnate Sidney Harman, who agreed last month to buy the struggling title for $1. (Not to mention Walter Isaacson, friend of Harman and former editor of Time, said he’s not interested in Meacham’s slot, either.)
On the digital side, general manager Geoff Reiss and executive editor Gabriel Snyder are planning to leave, too.
Last week, I said the steady exodus of Newsweek’s editorial talent is “becoming an epidemic.” Let’s revise that: the outbreak is already there.
Meanwhile, it's another example of the National Journal's suddenly aggressive hiring strategy.
Last week, the Journal was able to get Major Garrett, Fox News' chief White House correspondent, to pull out of the top-rated cable network and return to print.
“It would take a lot — something near perfection — to lure me away from the best job I’ve ever had,” Garrett said on Wednesday.
The Journal promises even more wrangling of talent as it eyes an expansion.
Meanwhile, something tells me the exodus will continue at Newsweek, too.
[Photo illustration by TheWrap]
