Thursday, 4:30 PM
Brian McGrory tapped to lead Globe's local news coverage
(Janet Knott/Globe Staff file photo)
Brian McGrory, shown above in 1999, has written a column for 8 1/2 years.
By Globe Staff
Globe Metro columnist Brian McGrory has been named deputy managing editor for local news.
McGrory, 45, will oversee coverage in the paper's Metro and regional editions in addition to the health and science staff.
"Brian has distinguished himself throughout his career at the Globe," Editor Martin Baron wrote in a note to the staff today announcing the promotion. "He put his talents to work as a columnist in late 1998 and quickly became required reading. Whether he aims to provoke, illuminate, inspire, or simply entertain, Brian is a reporter first. And his mastery with words and narrative has made him one of the best metro columnists in the country."
While the paper will miss McGrory's column, Baron said his knack for storytelling and knowledge of the region will help elevate the paper's local news operation.
"For the last 8 1/2 years, I've had the best job in journalism in the country," McGrory said today, referring to the column he is leaving behind. "It's been like a gift, every day."
McGrory said he will miss the direct connection with readers but looks forward to "playing a more subtle but more influential role in shaping metro coverage."
"People like to say that newspapers are dying." McGrory said. "Newspapers aren’t dying. More people are reading us than ever before"on the Internet.
Tapping into that energy, McGrory said he wants to ensure that the Globe is not just the "paper of record," but also the "paper of interest."
Most recently holding the title of associate editor, McGrory joined the Globe in 1989 as a reporter for the South Weekly section. He has covered the city of Boston as a metro reporter, Washington as a White House reporter, and the nation as a roving correspondent.
McGrory grew up in Roslindale and Weymouth, received a B.A. from Bates College in Maine, and worked early in his career at the New Haven Register and The Patriot Ledger.
