More on Coll’s Departure

The New York Times has more on Friday’s not-so-surprising- but-still-a-surprise departure of one of the Post’s biggest names:

“‘This is a bittersweet day for me,’ Mr. Coll said [Friday] when news of his departure, which had been rumored for a week, became official. He is to start next month and will be based in the magazine’s Washington bureau, covering national security, intelligence and foreign affairs.”

As was to be expected, Post executive editor Len Downie fought hard to keep Coll or at least some association with Coll–even urging him merely to take a leave of absence from the paper rather than leave entirely. However, Coll felt he had enough on his plate and newsroom sources say that as much as he loves the Post, the intellectual draw in his life is in depth long-form narrative and he little interest long-term in daily journalism.

Scratch one prominent name from the list of possible Downie replacements down the road.

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