Dear Mike Wilson:
First, why is your headshot at FiveThirtyEight so low res? Come on. Pixels are cheap. Give us a few more of them
Okay, with that out of the way, please take the editor’s job at the Morning News. Have you seen the memo that was sent to the staff this morning, the one that says you’re coming for a visit tomorrow? If you haven’t read it yet, I’ve pasted it below. Anyway, the memo makes it sound like you’ve pretty much got the gig, if you want it. So, please, take it.
We’ve talked to some folks who’ve worked with you. Remember that guy Ben Montgomery you used to work with? We know, we know. A bit of a scamp, that Ben. Not to be trusted with open tabs. Be that as it may, we trust his assessment. And he spoke to us for attribution. And so to him we attribute the following words:
“Mike is the calm in the storm. He has a remarkable eye for finding young talent. Lane Degregory, Michael Kruse, Kelley Benham. Kelley was a high school journalism teacher before Mike found her, and now she’s one of the best writers in the country. He’s the best I’ve ever worked with in terms of of story diagnosis. Whenever I brought a project to him that I wanted to do, he was nothing but a big bag of yeses.”
Ben also said you are “slightly nerdy,” but we’re pretty sure he meant that as a compliment. Point is, dude, people like you. And they think you’re qualified for the job. You can do it. And you know Jim Moroney wants to hire you. Otherwise a memo about your visit, one that surely would find its way to us, would never have been sent.
Okay. So you’ve got a decision to make. Do you want to leave New York City and move to Dallas? Let me answer that question for you, Mike. Yes, yes you do. You want to come to Dallas, and I’ll tell you why.
The Morning News has retrenched and is in a good financial position. It is owned by a family that is deeply committed to the enterprise and has been for generations. The fact that they want to hire you shows they’re headed in the right direction. That place is just waiting for someone to get it jump started and printing compelling stories (two moves that have probably already occurred to you: fire Steve Blow and redesign the paper so that the columns of type look like they’re designed to be read by an adult, not a fifth-grader).
If you bring your wife, three kids, and adorable dog to Dallas, you’ll be able to buy a house in East Dallas the likes of which you could never imagine owning in New York. Will you have to send your kids to private school? Perhaps, Mike. That’s a personal decision. But we know what Bob Mong currently makes. You’ll be able to afford it.
Oh, and there’s one more reason you should come to Dallas. The Cowboys are going to beat the Eagles this Sunday and go on to make a deep run in the playoffs. It’ll be fun.
Here’s your memo:
We are pleased that Mike Wilson will be in the newsroom Thursday and Friday to get better acquainted with our staff.
Mike asked to meet with as many journalists as we could pack into his two days here, and we have accommodated him with a very busy schedule.
He comes to us with a distinguished track record as a reporter, author, digital and print newsroom leader and proponent of high quality narrative writing. Currently, Mike works closely with Nate Silver as managing editor of FiveThirtyEight, ESPN’s first-ever publishing effort not dedicated exclusively to sports.
Previously Mike served as managing editor of the Tampa Bay Times, Florida’s largest newsroom. He oversaw a staff of 240 that published some of America’s best journalism. Mike rose to managing editor after having led the paper’s acclaimed enterprise team for three years. Under his direction, the Times’ Lane DeGregory won a Pulitzer Prize and another staffer was a finalist for feature writing. Mike also was a finalist for a Pulitzer in investigative reporting while on the staff of the Miami Herald.
He is also the author of two books: Right on the Edge of Crazy (1993), about the U.S. downhill ski team; and The Difference Between God and Larry Ellison (1997), about the CEO of Oracle Corp.
Mike is a Connecticut native and graduated from Tufts University in Massachusetts.
