Carolyn Ryan, the Boston Globe’s deputy managing editor for local news, is leaving Boston to become deputy metropolitan editor for government and politics at The New York Times. This is a loss for the Globe, and for Boston as a whole.
I knew Carolyn for six months in 2000 when I was an editorial assistant in the Globe’s Metro department and she was the deputy city editor for politics at the time.
Like all editors at daily newspapers, Carolyn was extremely busy. But she was always kind enough to listen to story ideas from an eager journalism student and to chat about the Boston music scene. (She was a fan of the Pixies, and I was starting to explore the city’s musical history after coming to Boston University.)
One of my biggest thrills at the Globe was seeing a story published on the individuals who were Massachusetts’ electors during the 2000 presidential election controversy. I had suggested to her that the story would interest the Globe’s readers since the electors had the potential (at the time) to play a significant role in choosing our next president, and the idea made its way into print. Of course it wasn’t Watergate, but it was exciting to know that a 20-year-old journalism student played a small role in covering that issue. And I have Carolyn to thank.
Carolyn’s journalistic ability and constant professionalism were always inspiring to watch, and it is sad to see that the Globe — and the city as a whole — is losing her. Still, I wish her the best.
Earlier: I discuss why the Globe should revamp itself into a local newspaper and be privately owned. Elsewhere: Dan Kennedy, Adam Reilly and Jesse Noyes blog on Carolyn’s departure.
