Important news story #1: Liz Spayd is a collar popper. Awesome.

Important news story #2: Washington Post Assistant Managing Editor For National Liz Spayd will become the editor of washingtonpost.com.

Spayd obviously brings an enormous amount of talent to the position, but, in our opinion, the most significant part of this move is that the amount of respect and weight that Spayd carries in the Post's newsroom should/could/hopefully will help bridge the significant gap that exists between the Post newsroom and their website.

In an internal memo sent from Washingtonpost.com Executive Editor Jim Brady yesterday, he acknowledged that reality and it even dominated the text of his letter (full memo after the jump below...):

Liz will provide an invaluable link, bringing to Arlington her knowledge of the print newsroom's culture, expertise and rhythms. While our two newsrooms share common values -- fairness, accuracy and the pursuit of great Post-brand journalism -- there are still many differences in how we produce our journalism: the pace, the strategies, the formats, etc. Liz's experience will help break down these walls and her arrival is another sign that our website is a journalistic force that will play a large part in shaping The Post's future. In addition to bringing her knowledge of the print newsroom to washingtonpost.com, Len and Phil have asked me to work to assure that Liz can also help get some of washingtonpost.com's DNA into the newspaper...She will also play a key role in managing our relationship with the 15th Street newsroom...While Liz may be coming to work at washingtonpost.com, she will still be a frequent preence in the Post newsroom. The relationship with the Post newsroom has always been a central focus for us, and while it's not perfect, our current relationship is the envy of many people in the web media business.

Even though Brady discussed that gap extensively in his memo, the dead-tree Post all but ignored it in their write-up this morning. Perhaps somethings will never change...

Interestingly enough, this morning's Post piece notes that Spayd "impressed newsroom colleagues with an article on bungee jumping. With a rope around her waist, she leapt from a platform 140 feet high." We think that her familiarity with falling fast and hard but then bouncing back will make her perfectly prepared for life at for washingtonpost.com.

I am absolutely thrilled to announce that Liz Spayd will be joining washingtonpost.com as Editor sometime before the end of the year.

The addition of Liz is a landmark moment for washingtonpost.com. Having served as the Assistant Managing Editor of National for the past six years, Liz is one of the newsroom's most respected journalists and managers, and will carry those credentials over to work with the terrific staff already at washingtonpost.com.

As we continue to draw the print and online newsrooms closer together, Liz will provide an invaluable link, bringing to Arlington her knowledge of the print newsroom's culture, expertise and rhythms. While our two newsrooms share common values -- fairness, accuracy and the pursuit of great Post-brand journalism -- there are still many differences in how we produce our journalism: the pace, the strategies, the formats, etc. Liz's experience will help break down these walls and her arrival is another sign that our website is a journalistic force that will play a large part in shaping The Post's future. In addition to bringing her knowledge of the print newsroom to washingtonpost.com, Len and Phil have asked me to work to assure that Liz can also help get some of washingtonpost.com's DNA into the newspaper.

As my No. 2 in the newsroom, Liz will take on day-to-day management of washingtonpost.com's news operation, but she'll also be heavily involved in developing and executing our broader online strategy. She will also play a key role in managing our relationship with the 15th Street newsroom, especially with Rajiv and the Continuous News Desk.

For those who don't know Liz -- and there are probably very few of you -- she joined The Post in April 1988 as as an assistant editor overseeing national business coverage. She became a Metro reporter in 1991, and a few years later moved to Outlook. For the past decade, she's worked on the national staff, as social policy editor, then National editor and most recently as the AME of the department. During her tenure, the National staff has covered everything from the presidential recount to the 9/11 terrorist attacks and won four Pulitzer Prizes.

While Liz may be coming to work at washingtonpost.com, she will still be a frequent presence in the Post newsroom. The relationship with the Post newsroom has always been a central focus for us, and while it's not perfect, our current relationship is the envy of many people in the web media business. Bringing Liz on is a sign that, though we've made a lot of progress, this relationship remains crucial to our collective success.

Thanks,

Jim