Behind the Headlines

You may have noticed an unusual tagline under Janet Patton’s front-page story Saturday about Kentucky Rep. Ed Whitfield’s congressional efforts to win health benefits for jockeys and other horse
industry workers. The story proclaimed that it was from the “Herald-Leader Washington Bureau.” As many of you know, the Herald-Leader has not had a reporter in Washington for several years, and it has been one of my goals as editor to reopen the newspaper’s Washington bureau. Budget constraints over the past two years have made that impossible.

But Janet’s recent decision to move to Washington with her husband, reporter John Cheves, has given us the opportunity to at least have a part-time presence in Washington. Working from a desk in Knight-Ridder’s Washington bureau, Janet has been making contact with congressional offices and federal agencies that handle issues of special interest to Kentucky. She left for Washington with a long list of ideas that we would like to see her pursue, stories that we believe will enhance our coverage. Please e-mail Janet your ideas and comments.

If we are lucky, Janet’s part-time gig will evolve into a permanent position. McClatchy, which recently bought the Herald-Leader and many other Knight Ridder properties, has a tradition of strong regional coverage from Washington. We intend to press the case with our new owners that coverage from Washington is a necessity for any respectable paper of the Herald-Leader’s size.

Meanwhile, Janet’s husband intends to be in Washington for a while. John is currently on leave from the Herald-Leader doing a project for the Center for Investigative Reporting. Recently, he learned that he has been selected for the 2006-2007 class of the Congressional Fellowship program run by the American Political Science Association. We wish him the best.

Marilyn Thompson
Editor