11:44 am Jun. 7, 20123
Michael Winerip is returning to The New York Times on a full-time basis to "anchor" a new blog targeting readers of the baby-boomer generation.
The yet-to-be-named blog "will aggregate content from all our desks," said editors Rick Berke and Adam Bryant in a staff memo announcing the news today. "But Mike will give it voice, and make the blog a destination for boomers that will be entertaining, aspirational and lively but won't shy away from the serious or from vital service material."
Winerip is a Pulitzer winner who's covered a number of different beats during his 25 years with the Times. Most recently he's been writing the weekly "On Education" column on a contract basis.
We've asked a Times spokesperson what Winerip's new role means for "On Education" and we'll update when we hear back.
We'll have to wait to see what the Times defines as material special to the baby-boom generation, who by traditional definitions are now between the ages of 48 and 64. We're thinking they're internet enabled, and good targets for servicey content about personal finance and retirement, health stuff, and opinion columns. Basically they want the stuff that usually shows up in the "Most E-mailed" lists.
You can read the full internal announcement below:
We're thrilled that Mike Winerip has returned full time to The Times for an exciting new assignment: to anchor a (yet-to-be-named) blog aimed at boomers. Read more in this note from Rick Berke and Adam Bryant.
The Times is a leading news source for the boomer generation, and the blog will aggregate content from all our desks. But Mike will give it voice, and make the blog a destination for boomers that will be entertaining, aspirational and lively but won't shy away from the serious or from vital service material.
Mike is tailor-made to help launch this venture. He has has held just about every job at The Times. Over nearly 30 years, he has written five different columns — Our Towns, On Sunday, On Education (three times), Parenting and Generation B. He has been a staff writer for the magazine, investigative reporter, national political correspondent, metro reporter and a deputy metro editor. For the 1996 presidential race he moved his family to a city that usually votes as America does — Canton, Ohio — and spent the year describing political and social issues important to the community.
In 2000, he was a Pulitzer finalist for his expose in the Times magazine of a mentally ill New York City man pushing a woman to her death on the subway. The story spurred the state to allocate an additional $215 million to community mental health programs. In 2001 he played a leading role on the team of reporters that won a Pulitzer for the series “How Race is Lived in America.” His nonfiction book on community mental health, “9 Highland Road,” was a finalist for the Penn nonfiction award. He also has written a series of children’s novels on the world’s greatest middle school newspaper.
Mike will be part of the How We Live cluster; you can find him on the 4th floor.
Among his many qualifications for writing a baby bloomer blog — this summer, his four children, ages 17 to 24, are all living at home with him.
Rick Berke/Adam Bryant
Congrats to NYT and to Mr. Winerap. I am aware of his many qualifications but he can't claim the
one mentioned in the announcement until all four of his children have GRADUATED from college
and are living AT HOME. Ask me about it, I know.
Dear Mr. Winerip:
Congratulations to you on your new venture. I am saddened to see you leave the Education column. Often you were that voice in the wilderness echoing our thoughts and reassuring ourselves that we indeed were sane, and had not eaten of the poisoned grain as so many other people in education had.
Harriet Sobol
Congrats to Mr. Winerip! He will be an excellent resource back on the NYT staff and we would love to have him guest blog or feature one of his articles on our website's blog at http://www.YourSeniorCareNetwork.com/blog, since we are in the same industry of educating seniors and their loved ones.