Fishbowl

Paul Kane to Post.com

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By Patrick

Roll Call rockstar reporter (and Dirksen Award winner) Paul Kane is leaving Roll Call to join washingtonpost.com (learn more about Kane here).

Tim Curran sent out the following staff announcement today:

    Proving yet again that Roll Call is Washington’s premier proving ground for outstanding journalistic talent, our friend and colleague Paul Kane will be moving on to WashingtonPost.com in the new year.

    In the almost seven years Paul has been with the paper, he has done it all, providing outstanding Senate coverage, in-depth reporting on politics and campaign finance, and most recently delivering a torrent of groundbreaking investigative pieces on topics including the Justice Department’s pursuit of Members of Congress and the failures of the probe into anthrax-laced letters sent to Senators. His achievements were recognized by the rest of the journalistic community when he was named winner of the Dirksen Award for outstanding Congressional coverage in 2004.

    But even beyond those professional triumphs, we may remember PK most for the friendship, leadership and good will he brought to the newsroom, even on the Mondays following a defeat of his beloved Philadelphia Eagles. And it goes without saying that his Herculean efforts on behalf of Roll Call at the 2004 conventions in Boston and New York will ring throughout history.

    Paul will be covering Congress and politics for the Post as part of a new venture. Please join me in wishing him all the best as he embarks on this journey.

Some questions after all of this week’s fall-out:

  • Which paper suffered/gained the most from the VandeHarris fall out? The Hill (having lost Patrick O’Connor, Josie Hearn, Pat Ryan and Carrie Sheffield, but having gained Megan Mulligan)? Roll Call (having lost Mary Ann Akers, John Bresnahan, Paul Kane and Jeff Patch…but having gained Rachel Van Dongen and Charlie Mitchell)? The Post (having lost VandeHarris and Kim Kingsley, but having gained Akers, Kane and John Solomon)? Time magazine for having lost (sort of) Mike Allen?

  • Are Roll Call’s losses, in some way, a backhanded compliment? After all, it sure seems as if the Post consistently looks to Roll Call when they’re shopping around for political talent…

  • Who will Roll Call hire to replace Akers/Kane?

  • Who will The Hill hire to replace O’Connor/Hearn?

  • Has the New York Times emerged as the most stable political shop throughout all of this? (Answer: Yes)

  • Despite all the VandeHarris buzz, Roll Call is still the most profitable Capitol Hill newspaper. Will this change?

  • How will the political writings of Akers/Romano/Kamen/Reliable Source fit together at The Post?

  • Has the momentum at the Post turned away from the dead-tree edition and towards Post.com?

  • Has the revolving door stopped turning (for now)?

  • How are Politico ad sales coming along?

  • Although the media world is all abuzz with the Politico, what’s the word on Capitol Hill? Are staffers, etc. talking about it/exciting for it?

    Plenty to think about over the holidays…

    Whatever happens, you can count on this: Expect Ben’s Chili Bowl to congratulate Kane with a free hot dog during his next visit.

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    Patrick

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