After five and a half years as a regular feature on the Web site, Dan Froomkin’s White House Watch column is being axed. Froomkin was quietly passing the word today that he was told by The Post that his contract will be terminated in early July.
Post spokeswoman Kris Coratti confirmed it with this response to a query:
“Editors and our research teams are constantly reviewing our online content to ensure we bring readers the most value when they are on our Web site while balancing the need to make the most of our resources. Regrettably, this means that sometimes features must be eliminated, and this time it was the blog that Dan Froomkin freelanced” to The Post’s Web site."I’m terribly disappointed. I was told that it had been determined that my White House Watch blog wasn’t ‘working’ anymore. But from what I could tell, it was still working very well," Froomkin said. "I also thought White House Watch was a great fit with The Washington Post brand, and what its readers reasonably expect from the Post online."
"I think that the future success of our business depends on journalists enthusiastically pursuing accountability and calling it like they see it. That’s what I tried to do every day," he continued. "I’m not sure at this point what I’m going to do next. I may take White House Watch elsewhere, or may try something different."
Froomkin bills his often-irreverent online column as a “pugnacious daily anthology of White House-related items from news Web sites, blogs and other sources.” He does not operate as a White House reporter. Rather, he compiles material about the White House and offers his own commentary, often with a liberal bent. That slant seemed to attract a large and loyal audience during the Bush administration, but it may have suffered when Barack Obama became president.
Editorial Page Editor Fred Hiatt, whose stable of contributors includes Froomkin, said late Thursday: "With the end of the Bush administration, interest in the blog also diminished. His political orientation was not a factor in our decision"…
Please tell us that this doesn’t have to do with either Froomkin’s criticizing Obama or his staying on top of the Bush/Cheney stories. Please tell us that within days, Herr Krauthammer and Sir George Will will be canned too. And for sure, don’t tell us something like this, “Editors and our research teams are constantly reviewing our online content to ensure we bring readers the most value when they are on our Web site while balancing the need to make the most of our resources. Regrettably, this means that sometimes features must be eliminated, and this time it was the blog that Dan Froomkin freelanced.” Because we won’t believe it. At least I don’t believe it. Did Rupert Murdoch just buy the Washington Post? That would make more sense.
Surely the Obama White House can take Dan Froomkin’s kind of oversight [considering the kind of hogwash that spews out of Fox News and Talk Radio every day, all day]. Maybe the Washington Post or someone else doesn’t want us to watch the White House any more [that’s not going to happen].
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