It appears the Chronicle has a new Washington, D.C. bureau chief:
The Houston Chronicle has named Stephen G. Smith, a former senior editor at three major newsmagazines and former vice president for communications at the Brookings Institution, as chief of the newspaper’s Washington, D.C. bureau.
Chronicle Editor Jeff Cohen announced Smith’s appointment Monday.
Smith joined the Brookings Institution, an independent, nonpartisan think tank focusing on government issues, economics and foreign policy, after many years in the magazine industry. He served as editor of U.S. News and World Report, executive editor of Newsweek and editor of the Nation section of Time.
Smith also has been editor of National Journal, founding editor of Civilization magazine and senior editor of Horizon magazine.
His journalism background also includes serving as news editor for Knight Ridder Newspapers and editor and reporter for the Boston Globe, the Philadelphia Inquirer, the Albany Times-Union in New York and the Daily Hampshire Gazette in Northampton, Mass.
“We are delighted to have him lead our outstanding staff in Washington,” Cohen said.
Smith is a member of the World Affairs Council, the Council on Foreign Relations, the Oversees Press Club and the National Press Club.
Smith appears to have an impressive background and we hope this is a step in the direction of actually improving news content, as opposed to the recent efforts to make the paper easier to read. Next on our wish list is improved coverage and content in local news, with less MeMo-like influence spreading everywhere.
