Charles Blow returns to the New York Times as a “new kind of columnist.” Full memo after the jump.
When last seen around these here parts, or at least the parts on 43rd Street, Charles was in the newsroom, helping to guide the paper’s design as deputy design director for news, a position that he created.
Before that, of course, he was our pioneering Graphics Editor, introducing Times readers to the kind of ambitious, authoritative and beautiful charts, maps and other kinds of graphics that are now an ingrained part of our journalism. Charles left The Times for a new challenge, at National Geographic Magazine, where he was Art Director, rebuilding the art department and attracting world-renowned visual journalists. In addition to producing scientific illustrations, maps and graphics, his staff developed and pitched stories.
He is returning to us as a columnist, but an entirely new kind of columnist a visual columnist, if you will. Charles will do his own Op-Charts, lending his formidable skills and distinct style to that form of opinion journalism. And, equally exciting, he will create a new kind of journalistic space on our website. I’d call it a blog if I were given to using that word. Charles envisions a gathering place for visual journalists, especially those who use numbers and images and charts to express opinion. It will be just the kind of “you won’t find it anywhere else” feature that ought to be on nytimes.com.
Charles will be working from the columnist zone on the 13th floor. I was devastated when he left The Times, because he was a great colleague, a great mind and a great leader. I couldn’t be happier to welcome him back.
— Andy Rosenthal
Thank you for writing a great article on Charles Blow. He is a wonderful writer and designer. I’m so glad a man of color is highlighted in the NYT. Thanks again and keep writing.
Janean M. Courtney
Atlanta GA