Russ Stanton sent the following memo to staffers today, explaining some changes. Not mentioned in the following note is the fact that former Washington bureau chief Doyle McManus is officially an op-ed columnist in DC. We're still not clear what Tom McCarthy, his #2, does. Stay tuned...

Colleagues:

As you have seen, the company is making some changes to the operations of our Washington office, beginning with the naming of Cissy Baker to the new position of vice president of the Washington News Bureau of the Tribune Co.

More details will be unveiled in the coming days, but one thing that will not change is the mission of the bureau: to continue to break news and deliver unique and high quality enterprise, investigative and analytical stories to our readers -- in print, online and over the airwaves.

Most of the staffing for the new operation will come from the Los Angeles Times and Chicago Tribune and we will continue to give our readers the top-notch journalism that they have come to expect from us.

Russ Stanton
Editor

[UPDATE: LAT issues press release about McManus which follows:]

LOS ANGELES, Nov. 7, 2008 -- The Los Angeles Times announced today that veteran D.C. bureau chief and political analyst, Doyle McManus will join the Op-Ed team as The Times' newest columnist. McManus joined The Times in 1978, is one of Washington's best-known and most respected journalists and will now command an Opinion section platform from which to observe the nation's capital.

"It's been my great pleasure to work with Doyle for many years and to appreciate his superb journalistic judgment," said editorial pages editor, Jim Newton. "He is one of The Times great souls and his keen analysis and graceful writing will now bring an important voice to our Opinion section."

During his Time tenure, Doyle McManus has reported from Los Angeles, Tehran, Beirut, Central America, New York and Washington. He was State Department correspondent and then White House correspondent before becoming Washington bureau chief in 1996 and is one of the most decorated journalists in the profession. He has won a Pulitzer and written three books, along with having recently been a moderator for the Jan. 31, 2008, The Times/CNN debate between Hillary Clinton and Barack Obama.

McManus' first column is expected in early 2009.