A Note to Our Readers
IN mid-October, several members of the Monitor's 108-person editorial team will change assignments. We want to let our readers know about these moves before they occur.
John Dillin, a 30-year Monitor veteran, will become managing editor. John has headed the Monitor's Saigon, New England, and Atlanta bureaus. He served as managing editor from 1979 to 1983 during Earl Foell's term as Editor of the paper and since then has contributed a steady stream of compelling and prize-winning stories from Washington.
When John is settled in Boston, Ruth Walker will become associate editor overseeing the editorial and opinion pages. Ruth, who served for 4-1/2 years in the demanding post of deputy editor, is a Renaissance woman who brings strong reporting, writing, editing, and administrative skills to her new role.
Design director John Van Pelt, one of the most talented newspaper designers in the country, will become associate editor in charge of design and innovation. John will spearhead our search for new ways to make the paper even more appealing to current and potential readers.
Clayton Jones will become international editor after completing a brief tour as national editor. The Monitor remains committed to coverage that is international in scope and that provides insight not available elsewhere. With experience as assistant international news editor, Manila bureau chief, and Tokyo bureau chief, Clay is well positioned to direct our worldwide network of reporters. While he was in Tokyo, Clay's peers elected him president of the 2,000-member Foreign Correspondents Club of Japan.
Scott Armstrong will leave Los Angeles after nine years there for the Monitor and move to Boston as national news editor. Scott's skill at producing engaging stories and his experience reporting both in the US and overseas will be valuable assets as he guides our national reporting team.
Our current chief editorial writer, Peter Spotts, will drop the cloak of anonymity and become a bylined natural science correspondent working with longtime Monitor science writer and columnist Robert Cowen. Pete has a strong background in science and technology and readers tell us they want more coverage of these fields.
As many of you know, the Monitor has a broadcast edition - Monitor Radio - which is heard on public radio stations in the US and internationally on our own network of shortwave stations. Jane Lampmann, who has served so ably as the paper's international editor for 5-1/2 years, will become Monitor projects editor and oversee development of series that will run both in the paper and on Monitor Radio. Jane will report some of these series herself as well as supervise projects produced by other reporters. Making more coordinated use of our print and radio correspondents will allow us to bring readers and listeners a richer and more insightful mix of stories.
All of these steps are part of the Monitor's continuing search for more effective ways to serve mankind. Your ideas for improvements are warmly welcomed. You can reach the Monitor's editors by mail at One Norway Street, Boston, MA 02115 or via the Internet at monitor @csps.com.
