Last night Washington journalists waited on pins and needles for WaPo Local Editor Vernon Loeb‘s first-person account on writing the obviously authorized biography on General David Petraeus with alleged mistress Paula Broadwell. Finally around 7:30 p.m. it appeared and is published in today’s Style Section. Not surprisingly, Broadwell never responded to Loeb’s request for comment.

Why should you read the story that basically says Loeb had no earthly idea buxom Broadwell was shacking up with Petraeus?

1. The opening line, which essentially spells out the primary conclusion of his piece: “My wife says I’m the most clueless person in America.” Nice, catchy, draws you in, and it might as well end there.

2. But no, the cluelessness persists…“So when the news broke Friday that Petraeus was resigning in disgrace because of an adulterous affair, I was dumbfounded,” he writes, saying he gave her the benefit of the doubt until a few hours passed and the world learned that the alleged mistress was indeed Broadwell.

3. Loeb peculiarly refers to himself as a “ghostwriter.” But clearly his identity is revealed — he’s no ghost, although he might as well have been for how little he knew about the affair.

See the remaining two reasons… Read more

Quotes of the Day

Tense newsroom phone call

“From overhearing one side of @michaelschaffer’s phone call, sounds like Washington Post is unhappy about this.” –WCP‘s Mike Madden, who linked to this story about a certain detail they say WaPo blatantly missed. WaPo‘s Vernon Loeb, meanwhile, claims it was a matter of emphasis.

Whoa! Politico‘s Bresnahan joins Twitter?

“Is he aware Twitter is not a snack food?” — Roll Call‘s Paul Singer initial (joking) reaction to Politico‘s Capitol Hill warlord John Bresnahan joining Twitter. He soon added, “Kidding aside, you should follow .@brespolitico. There is no reporter in DC I respect more.” So far, Bresnahan hasn’t tweeted a single message. Stay tuned…

Politico teaches Wemple art of self-congratulation

“There’s a brighter side, however, and it relates to Politico’s clever twist of logic-in-service-of-self-congratulation. If the paper can say it’s the No. 1 preference of Washington readers among four competitors, then I can say I’m the No. 1 tennis player in the world among my closest friends. Thanks, Politico! ” — WaPo Erik Wemple‘s take on a new Politico ad in which they claim they are the most read paper on Capitol Hill among The Hill, CQ Weekly, NJ and Roll Call.

From the Road

“Restaurant next to my Jacksonville hotel called The Tilted Kilt, which hotel manager discouraged, calling it a ‘Scottish Hooters.’ Oh.”– CNN’s “Piers Morgan Tonight” Senior Digital Producer Steve Krakauer.

Investigative reporting at a glance…

“Bonus of spending time on trail: Returning to find your coffee mugs were tossed out.” — Slate‘s Dave Weigel. WaPo’s Erik Wemple: “Did you leave’em in the sink?” Weigel: “Indeed! A cleaning person who had washed them was replaced by one who did not.”

WaPo is reportedly closing most of its regional bureaus minus those located in the state capitals of Virginia and Maryland, FishbowlDC has learned. The information comes from a posting from the WaPo Guild Facebook page which sources tell us visible to only people who have been approved by the moderators. The “Vernon” in the posting below is Local Editor Vernon Loeb. The post below was written by WaPo staff writer and Guild representative Frederick Kunkle (as shown here in a picture taken from his Facebook page).

In explanation, just because the bureaus are closing does not mean the various regions won’t be covered. Rather, there will be no bureaus from which to work, a point some WaPo journalists are contending stems from their ongoing local focus, as tweeted today by NYT Social Media Editor Liz Heron: “News that WaPo closing most local bureaus comes after years of focusing resources on local. Motto was ‘For & about Washington’.”

WaPo Ombudsman Patrick Pexton is reportedly looking into the matter. He tweeted about an hour ago, “Checking on report that Post is closing regional MD and VA bureaus, except Richmond and Annapolis. Cost cutting. More later.”

Developing…

Friends,
As some of you have probably heard already — and as has been rumored for some time — the Post has decided to shut down all of its regional bureaus except those in the state capitals of Virginia and Maryland. Vernon, in a telephone conversation a little while ago, said that the Post’s leases on suburban bureaus will not be renewed after they expire, beginning in 2012, except in Richmond and Annapolis, which he said will “never” close. Vernon also says that although this is obviously another sign of the Post’s effort to grapple with the economy and the radical changes in the media business, the closure of the physical buildings does not mean that the Post will reduce its local coverage. He emphasized that the Post remains committed to covering our region as aggressively as possible. To that end, he said he will also do everything in his power to use some of the savings from the closure of the bureaus to invest in better mobile technology for reporters. We’ll try to update you further as we hear more. Please remember as we head into this Labor Day weekend that more than ever, tough times require a strong union, and we are only as strong as you are. As the Post continues to shrink, the Guild needs every person it can to become a dues-paying member.
Best,
Freddy

We’ve written WaPo Publicist Kris Coratti for comment.

Subject line: A local baby — from Vernon. (As in WaPo‘s Local Editor Vernon Loeb in a memo he dispatched Monday to newsroom staff.)

Did Vernon have the local baby? Of course, not. But that’s just the beginning of the confusion that an editor, if editing this memo, might have asked before sending such copy out. Other questions to ponder: Is it about the mother? The infant? The grandfather? Or, is it about the author, Loeb, and his relationship with the grandfather?

Questions aside, welcome Nicholas Marimow Sargent to the Fishbowl!

See the internal memo… (The above photograph is the meandering Tigre River in Argentina.)

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After two decades of working for WaPo‘s Style section, longtime editor and writer Richard Leiby is moving over to Local to replace Marc Fisher as editor of the Enterprise Team. There has been a cavalcade of Styler’s who have left since Ned Martel came in as Style Editor in May 2009. Word around town is that Leiby’s move is a big deal.

In an internal memo, news of Leiby was announced with that of Lynda Robinson‘s move from the Social Issues team to a newly created post as Senior Projects Editor. The memo speaks of her “infectious enthusiasm.” Robinson has been at the publication since 2000. Leiby, meanwhile, has been at WaPo since 1991. They say he’s “well-suited” for the change.

Leiby starts his new position on June 1. Robinson assumes her new role next month.

“As much as I’ll miss Style, I had a great 20-year run from the day I arrived after Gene Weingarten convinced me to join in the journalistic insanity at Style and I’ve never forgiven him,” Leiby told FishbowlDC in a phone interview this afternoon. “But I’ve known Vernon Loeb, who hired me for the new gig, for years and he’s the kind of guy who runs marathons before most people have eaten breakfast. Ink and adrenalin flow through his veins. I’ll be working with a terrific team of writers and I know I will be regularly landing stories on the front page and will also be bringing a few of them to Style stories. So it’s a great opportunity to keep doing the work I love.”

WaPo has a penchant for long-winded memos. See what they had to say…

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Earlier today, WaPo‘s Marcus Brauchli made the news of Vernon Loeb‘s hire as Local Editor official. FBDC reported the news Tuesday. Brauchli says Loeb’s enthusiasm is “infectious.” He also says he has run a marathon or two (try 54).

See memo after the jump…

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As we hinted in late November, WaPo‘s newsroom is abuzz with the prospect of  Vernon Loeb joining the newspaper as the new Metro Editor. An announcement of his hire is expected today or tomorrow, FishbowlDC has learned. In November Loeb had front-runner status and was called back for more interviews.

Loeb is Deputy Managing Editor of The Philadelphia Inquirer.

Vernon Loeb has front-runner status for WaPo Metro Editor. We hear that Loeb, who is Deputy Managing Editor at The Philadelphia Inquirer, is being brought back for a second round of interviews. He was previously California Investigations Editor for LAT and staff writer for WaPo from 1994 to 2007. He should be a shoe in.

Stay tuned…