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Put The Rake Down and Back Away Slowly
Can we stroll down memory lane for a second? Remember when Paul and I offered a grand unified theory of President Bush's warrantless surveillance efforts? Or when I brought you General Petraeus' own methodology for tabulating sectarian killings? How about the time I hung around the Rayburn building when Blackwater's Erik Prince smirked his way through a House oversight hearing? Those times I embarrassed myself playing TV reporter? And, hey, Cookie Krongard -- that was some fun, right?
Well, I'm getting wistful because today's my last day at TPM. As great as working here has been -- more on that after Boyz II Men do their thing -- I'm transferring over to The Washington Independent, a forthcoming online experiment designed to shift the tectonic plates of investigative reporting. We launch on January 28 on washingtonindependent.com, and I hope you'll check it out. (You might find some old friends there, too.) Until then, I'm having some fun with Jonah Goldberg's brilliant book on my personal blog, if you're interested.
You don't need me to tell you how great TPM is, but I'm going to do it anyway. What Josh has built is, simply, the future of how people will consume news: discrete installments designed to build narratives, marrying original reporting, existing reporting, analysis and judgment. He's asked his readers -- you guys -- to essentially become reporters, and that's something new under the sun. More than anyone else in the media over the last eight years, Josh has succeeded in redefining the limits of the possible in journalism. In the process, he's redefined TPM, which, when you think about it, took a lot of courage. I can't wait to see, as a reader, where it goes next. Such dynamism is going to get taught in journalism schools one day. I will be forever grateful for the opportunity to have been a part of it. This job definitely turned out better than the last one.
TPM is also a family now, and one I'm going to dearly miss. Paul Kiel, the man who is TPMmuckraker, has the rare journalistic gift to make diligence appear effortless. He's a singular talent, as you all know. David Kurtz is one of the best editors I've been lucky enough to work with, and a genius at rallying the troops during a slog. You simply can't understand what's happening in the presidential election without reading Greg Sargent and Eric Kleefeld, and I wish you got to see what great guys they are behind the scenes. Speaking of behind the scenes, Ben Craw, Andrew Golis and Rachel Weiner put in herculean efforts to keep these sites on the intertubes, and somehow still come through with just the right IM dis and witty reference. Rachel and I even went to the same junior high, it turns out, except she was in the snooty advanced program. I've also been lucky enough to work with a whole host of talented Muckterns: Grandmaster Will Thomas, Tanvir Vahora, Adrianne Jeffries, Peter Sheehy, Andrew Berger, and Diane Vacca.
Most of all, thanks to you guys for reading my stuff, and for cutting me some slack for not writing about U.S. attorneys or Duke Cunningham or some of the other awesome stories that TPM has pwnage over. You let me experiment with what topics should be Muckraker topics, and I thank you for it. See you in the comment threads.
Comments (22)
B wrote on December 28, 2007 6:03 PM:Three cheers to another who came to TPMm they saw, they raked, they ruled
A job well done Mr. Ackerman, well done
Spongebob Weepypants wrote on December 28, 2007 6:05 PM:Damn you! Boyz II Men always makes me cry... Let's hope my wracking sobs won't--no. I must be strong.
Mr Ackerman, you will be missed.
I'm having some fun with Jonah Goldberg's brilliant book on my personal blog, if you're interested.
Jonah beat you to it.
danger wrote on December 28, 2007 6:23 PM:http://liberalfascism.nationalreview.com/
hookergate lol
Now if only the MSM were more like TPM... someday. Thanks for everything Spencer!
cbear wrote on December 28, 2007 6:26 PM:Spencer,
acuppajo wrote on December 28, 2007 7:11 PM:Great job. TPM Muckraker is my first and last read of the day, every day. Your reporting has been explemplary and you will be sorely missed here.
Best of luck with the new venture.
Congrats on the new gig Spencer, you have earned it.
Kewalo wrote on December 28, 2007 7:21 PM:Spencer, you've done a terrific job, I've enjoyed your reporting.
Good luck at the new job.
KucinichNOW wrote on December 28, 2007 9:54 PM:Thank you for outdoing the lame show hors of the lamestream media. Everyone needs to remember Don Siegelman who is still in prison and apparently nothing has changed after Conyers' abreviated hearings. Please write Conyers and tell him the hearings need to continue, immediately, and former Democratic Governor Siegelman needs for Conyers to investigate his mistreat ment in prison.
Best of luck Spence. Your new gig sounds fascinating and I will be visiting The Washington Independent.
EvilPoet wrote on December 28, 2007 10:47 PM:Best of luck to you, I hope all goes well.
Patrick in Chicago wrote on December 28, 2007 11:43 PM:TPM is fantastic and the moves JMM has made to date have upped the ante in what blogs can and do accomplish. However, you will be missed here. Congrats on your new gig and it looks like I'll just have to add one more bookmark to my daily political "must reads".
JdV wrote on December 29, 2007 1:31 AM:Best of luck to you big guy. What Josh and the troops have built here is astonishing. Have always thought of TPM as an incubator...both for ideas and for a place where the talents of people like you will be recognized.
Will follow your investigating/writing with avid interest. TPM is my "check too many times a day" site. Your new digs will probably be a close second.
mkolb wrote on December 29, 2007 3:53 AM:Spencer,
Thanks for your good work. I'll miss reading you here, but will see you over there.
Kevin wrote on December 29, 2007 7:27 AM:Shoot. That's a pity. Great work, Spencer. Yeah, as JdV just put it, TPM is my check too many times a day site also, and click back to Josh, and back to muckraker, and back to EC, and back to Ackerman/Kiel to see if anything has been posted in the last 60 seconds, etc etc...
PW wrote on December 29, 2007 7:43 AM:You'll be greatly missed, Spencer. Thanks for all the great work!
But "Washington Independent"? Isn't that a contradiction in terms?
TheraP wrote on December 29, 2007 10:06 AM:For Spencer and all those whose careers have been positively influenced by and for tpm: Good Luck and never let the public down!
conniptionfit wrote on December 29, 2007 11:12 AM:Noooooooooooo!!!!oooooooo!!!!!
Goldspinner wrote on December 29, 2007 12:04 PM:Thank you and Godspeed!
Christ. wrote on December 29, 2007 1:41 PM:Huh. What's Josh gonna do, he's been LOSING IT lately, most notably making-up non stories about Ron Paul.
I used to take Marshall Enterprises seriously. Now, I see it for what it is: a fiercely independant hodge podge of nothing.
Fool me once, etc.
billw wrote on December 30, 2007 9:22 AM:Wishing you much continuing success at your new digs, Spencer. Sorry to see you go though.
peace
p_lukasiak wrote on December 30, 2007 10:01 AM:godspeed, Spencer!
fedhallofshame_com wrote on December 30, 2007 4:34 PM:Normally I would not celebrate the exodus of a muckraking talent. But, you're not exiting. Instead, you are spreading transparency and expanding media choice and voice for the American people. Congratulations on the new job, and I'm looking forward to adding another objective -- yet blunt -- link to my favorites.
Crust wrote on December 31, 2007 10:07 AM:And don't forget the Horse's Mouth in your list of what makes TPM great. Thanks for your work here and best of luck!
KucinichOnly wrote on January 1, 2008 5:19 AM:Why does washington independent leave Kucinich off the poll results? Even Richardson is listed