Word began trickling out Friday afternoon that the Huffington Post’s lead education reporter Joy Resmotvits was leaving the site for another education writing job — on the West Coast, if I understand correctly.
Usually, an education reporter’s change of venue wouldn’t be notable. These days, it’s mildly surprising when the move isn’t to something outside of journalism. However, while the fortunes and perceived respectability of the Huffington Post have risen and fallen several times since it was launched a decade ago, Resmovits helped bring the Huffington Post education coverage to prominence, along with former colleague Emmeline Zhao (now at Real Clear Education) and current education editor Rebecca Klein.
Generally speaking, Resmovits’ education writing on the page was steady, reliable, smart, and fair. I never had much to take issue about with her work — a rarity. And she’s done a lot of work. As described in her goodbye email:
“HuffPost is where I learned to become a beat reporter, to cultivate sources, to trust my news instincts. HuffPost is where I struggled with an 8-month-long story about a boy with autism that changed me both personally and professionally. HuffPost is where I pulled an all-nighter with a colleague in DC as we sorted through a trove of emails left by the associates tasked with designing the Koch brothers’ high school curriculum. HuffPost is where I rode Air Force II with Joe Biden, who insisted that I sit in his captain’s seat while I interview him.”
The 2010 Barnard grad who’s just completing her one-year Spencer Education Fellowship at Columbia wrote her last story for Huffington just last week (Senate Votes Overwhelmingly For Bipartisan No Child Left Behind Rewrite)
For the archive of Resmovits stories, click here. For her Twitter feed, here. Here Spencer Fellowship bio is here. Resmovits’ goodbye letter to Huffington colleagues is below.
Related posts: HuffPost’s “Wily” Joy Resmovits; Inside The Secret World Of The Spencer Journalism Fellowship.
Dear HuffPost family,
It all started with Meryl Streep. That’s how I met you. It was 2010, and the famed actress would be speaking at my college graduation. Someone in Barnard’s communications office attended journalism school with HuffPost’s then-college editor, who told her that HuffPost needed a senior to write about the affair. She landed on me. The assignment, she told me, was to be funny. Funny I am not.
Somehow, the editor liked the resulting piece, and told me to stay in touch. (I can’t access the comments now, but if I remember correctly, one reader called me a “thinks she’s too smart feminist.” I was traumatized, but little did I know…)
Less than a year later, I noticed that HuffPost was launching an education section. It had been my dream to cover education, an area I still consider to be the country’s most pressing domestic policy issue. I got in touch. The rest is history.
The Huffington Post quickly became my home for a significant part of my life. As some of you may know, today is my last day at HuffPost. While I’m excited to move on to a new and challenging adventure, the departure feels bittersweet.
HuffPost is where I learned to become a beat reporter, to cultivate sources, to trust my news instincts. HuffPost is where I struggled with an 8-month-long story about a boy with autism that changed me both personally and professionally. HuffPost is where I pulled an all-nighter with a colleague in DC as we sorted through a trove of emails left by the associates tasked with designing the Koch brothers’ high school curriculum. HuffPost is where I rode Air Force II with Joe Biden, who insisted that I sit in his captain’s seat while I interview him. HuffPost is also where I first saw a beer cart, had extensive conversations with my friends about the merits of different soda combinations, and sat in a conference room filled with puppies.
I am forever grateful.
There are too many people to list personally, but if you’re receiving this email, it means that you played a role in my time here. Thank you. Please, please stay in touch. My information is below. I look forward to watching you continue to grow and thrive. I will take pride in your accomplishments.
Love,
Joy Resmovits
