Times names Pruden successor

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The Washington Times today named John F. Solomon as successor to Executive Editor Wesley Pruden, who is retiring after 25 years in the paper's newsroom. Solomon brings to the newsrooms leadership over two decades of journalism experience, with a strong background in investigative reporting and managing interactive digital content. "John Solomons appointment is a great step forward for The Washington Times, and is good news for our readers, staff and advertisers, said Thomas P. McDevitt, president of The Washington Times. He is a working journalist, innovative manager, and skilled leader who can navigate the complicated media landscape while maintaining traditional news values and credibility. Solomon comes from The Washington Post, where he has helped lead its national investigative reporting by producing scores of front-page stories and cross-platform Web and TV productions that have had widespread impact. His recent work has exposed the new Congress efforts to hide earmarks and divulged problems with the FBI use of anti-terrorism tools and forensic science. Wes Prudens career at The Washington Times includes 16 years at the helm as editor-in-chief. Mr. Prudens popular column, Pruden on Politics, will continue to appear in the newspaper. All good things come to an end, and so I take my leave after 25 years with The Washington Times," said Wes Pruden. "They said we would last six weeks, and now, a quarter of a century later, were strong, brighter, bolder than ever and the newspaper is embarked on great change. John Solomon, coming from The Washington Post, our archrival, is an exciting and unexpected part of that change. I look forward to what he builds on the remarkable legacy he inherits. Weve built our reputation by being the fearless alternative to The Post and the mainstream media rowdy, independent, and politically incorrect by design and Ive been assured that wont change. Solomon previously worked for The Associated Press as director of Multimedia Investigative Reporting, assistant bureau chief, news editor and reporter in Washington, DC. His awards include The 2002 Gramling Journalism Achievement Award for spearheading APs global coverage of the war on terrorism; the 2002 APME Enterprise Reporting Award for stories divulging what government agencies knew about the threat of a terror attack on U.S. soil before Sept. 11, 2001; and an honorable mention for the Raymond Clapper Memorial Award for his investigative series Ross Perots secret dealings with the Nixon Administration. I look forward to leading one of the nations great newsrooms at The Washington Times, and to joining a team that has carefully thought about the future and is committed to building a truly converged, multimedia news enterprise," Solomon said. "In the months to come, our readers and viewers will see a redesigned Web site, the launch of some exciting new editorial products and focused outreach to an expanded audience. These are dynamic times, and I am excited for this unprecedented opportunity. An extensive nationwide search resulted in the appointment of John Solomon from among several excellent finalist candidates. "We have a strategy for growth to expand our competitiveness as a news organization to national and global audiences, said Mr. McDevitt. John emerged as the best of the best, to lead our top-notch newsroom, which will continue to be facile, tough and original, and its reach will expand through the use of technology to best serve the needs of our readers.