<em>WaPo</em> Reorganizes White House Team

Kevin Merida, one of WaPo's more adept internal memo writers, has co-authored "exciting changes" to the publication's White House team. His begins with high drama: "We're marking the dawn of President Obama's second term..." The highlights: Scott Wilson, who won a couple of important-sounding awards last year, will be White House Bureau Chief; David Nakamura will forge on as a member of team, focusing on (yawn) immigration reform -- never fear, his Pool Reports are a fun read; Philip Rucker, who covered Mitt Romney's presidential campaign, will cover Obama, gun control, and the President's complex relationship with Congress; Felicia Sonmez, who "seems to never sleep", will head up digital White House coverage; Zachary Goldfarb joins the team as a economic policy writer. See the full memo... We're marking the dawn of President Obama's second term with a series of exciting changes in our White House team: Scott Wilson will become our White House bureau chief, helping to set priorities and strategy while continuing to write the authoritative and path-breaking stories that have defined his tenure on the beat. Last year, Scott won both the Gerald R. Ford Journalism Prize for distinguished reporting on the presidency and the Aldo Beckman award from the White House Correspondents Association. For the latter, the judges cited "his deeply reported and nuanced stories, his evocative writing and his clear presentation of complex issues, particularly on the foreign policy front." We couldn't have said it better ourselves. David Nakamura will continue to be a key player on our White House team, with a special emphasis on domestic policy, including chronicling the administration's efforts to push forward with immigration reform. David has expertly juggled a diverse set of assignments during his time at the White House, from mass shootings to the 2012 campaign to Obama's historic visit to Burma. He is a tireless, aggressive reporter, which was demonstrated during the scandal involving Secret Service agents and prostitutes in Colombia. David also provides a roadmap for how a reporter can engage readers in substantive discussions quickly online and through social media. Philip Rucker, just two months removed from covering Mitt Romney's quest for the presidency, turns his attention to the victor. Phil set himself apart from the rest of the pack covering Romney with a limitless array of dispatches on the often-mysterious GOP nominee. Phil's deep sourcing came through time and time again, from stories on the missteps that plagued the campaign to a poignant look at Romney's life after his election loss. We are pleased that Phil will bring that same sharp eye, reporting skill and writing prowess to the Obama White House, focusing particular attention on gun control and on Obama's complicated relationship with Congress. The unstoppable Felicia Sonmez will become our point person for digital coverage of the White House, a move that will make us even more competititive throughout the day. Felicia, who doggedly covered Rep. Paul Ryan’s vice presidential run and previously anchored our 2Chambers Capitol Hill blog, seems to never sleep. We know this from her late-night and early-morning email dispatches. Felicia, who is fast and smart and observant, will play a utility role on the White House team, including exploring the life and daily routines of the president and those around him. Zachary Goldfarb, who was indispensable explaining the fiscal cliff follies to our readers, will join the White House team as an economic policy writer under a joint arrangement between Financial and National. Zach has distinguished himself as one of the leading economic reporters in Washington, and will bring that expertise to the White House beat. He has helped break news on the interminable budget battles roiling Washington while also telling readers what the developments mean for their lives and pocketbooks. With fierce debates over the debt ceiling and sequestration still to come, we're extremely happy to have Zach on the job at 1600 Pennsylvania Ave. Kevin Cameron Steven Greg

Fishbowl

WaPo Reorganizes White House Team

Betsy Rothstein

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