Well, that took long enough...

Word on the street has it that The Examiner will soon announce the apppointment of Mark Tapscott as their new editorial page editor. Tapscott takes over the position previously occupied by David Mastio before he left way back in June. FishbowlDC's own Patrick Gavin has been holding down the fort ever since.

Tapscott will leave his position as director of the Center for Media and Public Policy at the Heritage Foundation where he focused on First Amendment issues and the Freedom of Information Act. He also mans the blog "Tapscott's Copy Desk."

Tapscott's previous experience includes managing editor of The Journal Newspapers (now The Examiner), member of the Freedom of Information panel of the Maryland-Delaware-District of Columbia Press Association, an assistant managing editor for night news at The Washington Times (also national editor, business editor and investigative reporter for the Times), editor of The Federal Employees Weekly News Digest, reporter for Defense Electronics magazine, assistant director of the U.S. Office of Personnel Management during the Reagan administration and communications director for Sen. Orrin Hatch, R-Utah.

Since Mastio's departure, the Examiner's editorial page has become a bit more serious and drifted slightly closer to the political center. We'll have to wait and see where Tapscott plans on taking the page.