Carolyn Washburn
   HOME

TheInfoList



OR:

Carolyn Washburn was the vice president and editor of ''
The Cincinnati Enquirer ''The Cincinnati Enquirer'' is a morning daily newspaper published by Gannett in Cincinnati, Ohio, United States. First published in 1841, the ''Enquirer'' is the last remaining daily newspaper in Greater Cincinnati and Northern Kentucky, alth ...
'' until May 2015. Previously she was the vice president and editor of the ''
Des Moines Register ''The Des Moines Register'' is the daily morning newspaper of Des Moines, Iowa. History Early period The first newspaper in Des Moines was the ''Iowa Star''. In July 1849, Barlow Granger began the paper in an abandoned log cabin by the junction ...
''. She was also the executive editor of ''
The Idaho Statesman The ''Idaho Statesman'' is the daily newspaper of Boise, Idaho, in the western United States. It is owned by The McClatchy Company. History The paper was first published as the ''Idaho Tri-Weekly Statesman'' on July 26, 1864, by James S. Reynolds ...
'' until 1999. Washburn began her career in journalism in 1984 at the ''
Lansing State Journal The ''Lansing State Journal'' is a daily newspaper published in Lansing, Michigan, owned by Gannett. Overview The ''Lansing State Journal'' is the sole daily newspaper published in Greater Lansing. The newspaper had an average Monday through ...
'' as a business reporter Covering
Oldsmobile Oldsmobile or formally the Oldsmobile Division of General Motors was a brand of American automobiles, produced for most of its existence by General Motors. Originally established as "Olds Motor Vehicle Company" by Ransom E. Olds in 1897, it produ ...
,
General Motors The General Motors Company (GM) is an American Multinational corporation, multinational Automotive industry, automotive manufacturing company headquartered in Detroit, Michigan, United States. It is the largest automaker in the United States and ...
and the
United Auto Workers The International Union, United Automobile, Aerospace, and Agricultural Implement Workers of America, better known as the United Auto Workers (UAW), is an American labor union that represents workers in the United States (including Puerto Rico ...
. She was promoted to business editor. She moved to the ''
Rochester Democrat and Chronicle The ''Democrat and Chronicle'' is a daily newspaper serving the greater Rochester, New York, area. At 245 East Main Street in downtown Rochester, the ''Democrat and Chronicle'' operates under the ownership of Gannett. The paper's production fac ...
'' in 1987 covering Eastman Kodak Co.


Awards

* 2010: ''The Des Moines Register'' won the
Pulitzer Prize for Breaking News Photography The Pulitzer Prize for Breaking News Photography is one of the American Pulitzer Prizes annually awarded for journalism. From 2000 it has used the "breaking news" name but it is considered a continuation of the Pulitzer Prize for Spot News Photogr ...
. Washburn won Gannett Chairmans Ring. * 2009: Washburn was 1st runner up for Gannett Editor of the Year. * 2008: Washburn was named Gannett Editor of the Year.


''Des Moines Register'' presidential debates

Washburn received both harsh criticism and praise for how she moderated the 2007 ''Des Moines Register'' Republican presidential debate. She was criticized for controlling the pace of the debate and for her lengthy introductory remarks. The ''Iowa Independent'' wrote that the debate "was a train wreck, difficult for even the most ardent political junkie to watch. What seemed like a good idea on paper - avoiding over-discussed, politically charged topics about Iraq and
immigration reform Immigration reform is change to the current immigration policy of a country. In its strict definition, ''reform'' means "to change into an improved form or condition, by amending or removing faults or abuses". In the political sense, "immigration ...
and forcing candidates to keep their answers succinct - actually made me yearn for a surreal surprise a la the
YouTube YouTube is a global online video platform, online video sharing and social media, social media platform headquartered in San Bruno, California. It was launched on February 14, 2005, by Steve Chen, Chad Hurley, and Jawed Karim. It is owned by ...
debates." ''
The Wall Street Journal ''The Wall Street Journal'' is an American business-focused, international daily newspaper based in New York City, with international editions also available in Chinese and Japanese. The ''Journal'', along with its Asian editions, is published ...
'' wrote that Washburn treated the Republican candidates "like schoolchildren."The Media's Man - WSJ.com
/ref> Also, when she asked the Republican candidates to raise their hands if they believed
climate change In common usage, climate change describes global warming—the ongoing increase in global average temperature—and its effects on Earth's climate system. Climate change in a broader sense also includes previous long-term changes to E ...
was caused by humans,
Fred Thompson Freddie Dalton Thompson (August 19, 1942 – November 1, 2015) was an American politician, attorney, lobbyist, columnist, actor, and radio personality. A member of the Republican Party, he served as a United States Senator from Tennessee f ...
asked to explain his position and his request was denied. But ''The Baltimore Sun'' said: "Editor Carolyn Washburn is running a tight debate ship: No questions about the war or immigration. Just big-think questions." Politico, a new Web entry in political coverage, was impressed. "Carolyn Washburn, editor of the ''Des Moines Register'', asked all the questions and did so in a manner that suggests she believes a presidential debate should be more about information than entertainment,'' Roger Simon says. "That is a staggering concept and one that some reporters may not have liked - there were few of the fireworks that fuel juicy story lines - but I have a feeling serious voters, which the Iowans who vote on caucus night are, got a lot out of it."


References

{{DEFAULTSORT:Washburn, Carolyn American newspaper reporters and correspondents American women journalists Living people The Cincinnati Enquirer people Year of birth missing (living people) 21st-century American women