<em>WaPo</em> Editor Flees For 'Entrepreneurial World'

Jane Elizabeth, WaPo's deputy local editor for digital, is leaving the publication at the end of March "to explore the entrepreneurial world of digital journalism," according to an internal newsroom memo. Elizabeth joined WaPo in 2010 and pioneered its D.C. metro area online coverage, launching PostLocal.com. The memo praises her as someone who always "got the job done, and done right." It says she also plans "spend more time with her husband in Hampton Roads." Full memo... "Jane Elizabeth, deputy local editor for digital, is leaving The Post at the end of the month to explore the entrepreneurial world of digital journalism and spend more time at home with her husband in Hampton Roads. We will greatly miss her. "Jane’s first full day on the job in 2010 coincided, exactly, with the start of Snowmageddon. She didn't know how to log into the system, and suddenly it was her job to direct the online coverage of the historic snowstorm. She’ll always remember what Marcus Brauchli told her when it was all over: “You walked in and knew exactly what to do, and did it." "Shortly thereafter, Jane launched PostLocal.com, and in 2011, she directed the launch of the regional homepage and created the Capital Weather Watchers. She was also part of a small committee that developed the Post's digital ethics guidelines, and was a key part of the News University training. "One advantage of Jane’s pied-a-terre on the corner of 15th and Massachusetts Ave. is that she was always here during the week to bail us out early, and late. When all trains on the Red Line would grind to a halt at the heart of the morning rush, Jane was there to direct coverage. When murders happened close to midnight, Jane put the web reports together and called in reinforcements. And whenever storms approached, Jane constructed the staffing plans, recruited live bloggers and made sure the homepage was staffed. Rain or shine, day or night, Jane got the job done, and done right. "Jane understood that speed was a virtue online, but also that quality and accuracy were core values that could never be compromised. She was our digital czarina, but could take a troubled print story in hand and fix it for the newspaper – and the web. She gave us our morning digital report, and loved nothing more than to tell us we were over goal. And throughout the day, she rode herd on us to get out there and post news, shoot photos and push our content out through social media. She cared tremendously about our performance – and there was always boxing class on those nights when things misfired (yes, Jane is a boxer). We wish her all the best and bid her adieu, knowing full well that her finest hour is yet to come."

Fishbowl

WaPo Editor Flees For 'Entrepreneurial World'

Eddie Scarry

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Eddie Scarry