McGrory named Globe news editor

Brian McGrory, a Metro columnist for The Boston Globe since 1998, has been named the newspaper's top editor for local news, overseeing Metro coverage, the regional sections, and health and science reporting.

McGrory, 45, said yesterday that he intends to make the newspaper a compelling reflection of the region's appetites and concerns, one that combines hard-nosed reporting with humanity and humor.

"For years, the Globe has been the paper of record in Boston," McGrory said. "My goal is also to make it more the paper of interest."

The Globe's editor, Martin Baron, praised McGrory as a masterful writer and meticulous reporter who brings to the job a passion for journalism and a deep knowledge of the area.

"He's a great columnist, a forceful voice on our Metro pages, and a distinctive voice. You never want to lose that," said Baron, who announced the appointment in an e-mail to the news staff. "But a lot of the qualities he brings to his column are the kind of qualities we need across the Metro report."

McGrory will be trading the visibility of a columnist's job for the grinding daily pressures of an editor's desk. But the move proved irresistible, he said, because of the chance to have a broader impact on Boston journalism.

"I absolutely loved being a columnist. It's the best job I could have ever imagined," said McGrory, whose job title will be deputy managing editor for local news. "But this is just a great opportunity to help make the Globe even more relevant in people's lives."

With newspapers experiencing circulation declines, McGrory said, part of his job will involve the further integration of the newsroom and the Globe's website, Boston.com. The industry's hand-wringing, he said, should be balanced by good news about big increases in newspaper readership on the Internet. "This is something the business will eventually sort out," he said.

During this transition, he said, local coverage that is unique, enterprising, and well-written will be crucial to the drive to retain and expand readership. "The biggest part of the job will be to publish interesting, important, and entertaining stories," he said.

"We'll add a dose of humor to our coverage, and also humanity. We'll stress quality writing at every level."

McGrory, whose final column will be published Wednesday, joined the Globe in 1989 as one of the first reporters for the South Weekly section. He has covered the city of Boston as a Metro reporter, Washington as a White House correspondent, and the nation as a roving reporter.

He also is the author of four mystery novels.

Baron said a search was conducted inside and outside the newspaper to replace Carolyn Ryan, the former deputy managing editor for local news, who left last week for The New York Times. "I wanted to do that to see what the field was, and he led the field," Baron said.

The Globe will move quickly to name a replacement columnist for McGrory, Baron said. The paper has not decided whether to fill the vacancy created when Pulitzer Prize-winning columnist Eileen McNamara accepted a buyout offer this year, he added.

McGrory grew up in Roslindale and Weymouth, received a BA from Bates College in Maine, and has worked at the New Haven Register and The Patriot Ledger.