Changes at the WaPo "Economy Watch" blog

Frank Ahrens of The Washington Post writes about the changes occurring at the “Economy Watch” blog at the paper, which will now be called “Political Economy,” amid other changes on the business desk.

Ahrens writes, “As for me, this has been a terrific nearly two years and an unparalleled education. When my former boss interrupted my Colorado vacation in September 2008 — the weekend Fannie Mae and Freddie Mac were taken over by the government — and told me that I was going to start writing a breaking economic news blog, well, I’m not ashamed to tell you that I had never heard of a collateralized debt obligation, or CDO.

“But that all changed quickly. In two years, this blog has covered the bailout, the stimulus, cash-for-clunkers, an administration change, soaring unemployment, soaring deficits, the European debt contagion, mark-to-market accounting, stock market circuit breakers and lots and lots and LOTS of data, which I love.

“I have never been a pelts-on-the-belt journalist. I have no delusions that I’m a cop. There’s no one whom I want to nail to any wall. I like to figure things out and explain them as simply and powerfully as possible. This blog — which sought to decipher the highly complex workings of the economy — suited me perfectly.”

Read more here.