Fred Barbash, an editor in the Washington bureau of Reuters, is leaving the organization and returning to The Washington Post, where he previously worked.
Barbash had joined Reuters in May 2012 as editor overseeing domestic policy. His departure is not related to the buyouts that occurred at the Washington bureau of Reuters at the end of 2013 that trimmed its journalism ranks considerably.
Barbash declined to comment when contacted by Talking Biz News.
Previously, he had been managing editor of CQ Weekly, the magazine about Congress published by CQ Roll Call, a division of the Economist Group. Before that he was a senior editor at Politico, where he was creator and moderator of The Arena, a popular forum for debate on national policy and politics.
Barbash was the Post’s national editor, London bureau chief, and deputy metro editor (not in that order) and reporter on a variety of beats, including the Supreme Court.
Barbash has been an effective teacher in his editing roles, and from 2006 to 2008 he taught at Northwestern’s Medill School of Journalism. He is also the author of “The Founding: A Dramatic Account of the Writing of the Constitution” (Linden Press/Simon & Schuster), as well as numerous articles on constitutional history.
UPDATE: Here is the memo sent out Thursday evening by Reuters DC bureau chief Marilyn Thompson about Barbash:
We regret to tell you that Fred Barbash is leaving Reuters to take a new editing position at the Washington Post. His last day will be Wednesday, January 15.
In nearly two years with Reuters as domestic policy editor, Fred has made an enormous contribution to our coverage of Capitol Hill and the White House, working diligently to shape stories that led the pack on budget battles, immigration and other issues. We all benefitted from his years of reporting and editing experience and from his enthusiasm for the news.
As you know, some of us have a long history with Fred so his departure is particularly painful. We will miss him terribly but wish him the best of luck in his new role.
We will begin a search for Fred’s replacement immediately.
