Goodbye To The Eye

By: Brian Montopoli
Topics: All About Us

(AP)

As regular PE readers may have noticed, Matthew Felling has been carrying the load here lately, in the time he has available between Krusty the Clown imitations. That's because I've been preparing for something new: Starting today, I'm officially becoming a political reporter for the new CBSNews.com politics section, which will be relaunching in its shiny new form soon. And that means, after two years, I'm saying goodbye to Public Eye.

Public Eye remains a unique and important experiment in the media world, and two years in, we continue to experience new successes – and face new challenges. I'm happy to say that I'm leaving the site to Mr. Felling, who came on board in May and immediately began generating sharp, entertaining, and insightful work. I'm thrilled to be leaving PE in such capable hands, and can't wait to see where he takes it from here.

First and foremost, I want to thank our readers, especially those who engaged with the site. You make PE better than it ever could be in a vacuum. I want to extend my thanks to all those who have been supportive of our mission, even though it hasn't always been popular to do so, including Mike Sims, Dick Meyer, Betsy Morgan, and Larry Kramer. I also want to tip my hat to those many CBS News folks, whether correspondents, executives, cameramen, or producers, who understand the mission of Public Eye and have engaged with us. Chief among this group is Linda Mason, senior vice president for standards and special projects, who helped us understand CBS News policy and responded to our questions with notable candor.

And then, of course, there is Vaughn Ververs, my predecessor as Public Eye editor, who just happens to be my new editor over in politics. I first met Vaughn when we were set up as adversarial talking heads on MSNBC, and as those who sit around me in the newsroom can attest, the argument hasn't stopped since. But this site could never have been what it is without Vaughn, who steered the ship in the early going and taught me countless lessons along the way. I can't imagine anyone I'd rather be working with as I cover the '08 campaign.

PE may be entering its third year, but we've only been able to tell a small portion of the fascinating stories out there in the media world. Even as I immerse myself in the world of politics, I remain committed to keeping my eye on those stories, and PE will be my primary resource for doing so. It's been a great run so far, and I wouldn't be surprised if the best is yet to come.

Brian Montopoli
Brian Montopoli is the senior political reporter at CBSNews.com.
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by joycewest September 11, 2007 6:24 PM EDT: Congratulations on your new job. I''ve enjoyed your thoughtful posts and your responses to us viewers. Enjoy the 2008 campaign -- and keep us informed!; Reply to this comment


by memekiller September 10, 2007 5:50 PM EDT: I think having people engage the public this way will make better journalists. If nothing else, you''ll learn how to handle yourself under fire. They''ll scream when you screw up, twice as loud if you do your job.

Good luck, and remember: viewers first. Sources second.; Reply to this comment