Wednesday, February 04, 2009

Des Moines: Star political writer Yepsen leaving

Longtime political writer David Yepsen is leaving The Des Moines Register to become director of the Paul Simon Public Policy Institute, at Southern Illinois University at Carbondale. Yepsen, who has spent nearly 35 years at the Register, is expected to take over the group April 1, the paper said this afternoon. Yepsen, 58, told a news conference: “I am really interested in spending the rest of my life in public service, teaching and working with students and working in the public policy arena."

Here he is in a Jan. 2, 2008, segment of the Charlie Rose talk show:

8 comments:

  1. They are getting the big salaries, one by one. These guys think they are irreplaceable, but they are not in the eyes of the powers that be. It is sad, but true. Beware, the long knives are out and the managers are on the prowl for big savings this time around.

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  2. First Brian Duffy. Now Yepsen. They are slowly Gannettizing this paper, removing its institutions and making it more like other Gannett papers each day.
    Every four years, Yepsen was a great national image for the Register. He was happy in his position, I know.

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  3. Flippin' tragic.

    Not just Yepsen, but his departure as the next step in the systematic raping of a once-proud journalism tradition at the Register. Start date? One day after the sale to Gannett.

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  4. Wow, Yepsen's gone. That's a bellwether. He's an Iowa institution, good at what he does and one of the few "brands" the once-kickass, Pulitzer Prize-winning, must-read Register had left.

    Taking a job in academia wasn't his dream, no matter what PC quote he offered up for the Register's story announcing his departure.

    You can't tell me he didn't plan to live out his career at the Register. I don't believe it.

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  5. Slowly? The Register of old has been gone for years. The newsroom now looks like a poorly staffed college newspaper --- a small one at that.

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  6. This is horrible news, and the tragedy is that I doubt Gannett realizes just how bad it is.

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  7. i think the process was already completed a long time ago when they got rid of Ken Fuson and Chuck Offenburger. who else do they still around who is really high-profile ?

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  8. This Gannett, they don't want high profile and they don't want stars. Washburn is content now to take over Yepsen's job as Iowa spokesman each four years, although she knows absolutely nothing and was an unmitigated disaster in the debates this year. Yech.

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