Ambitious, exclusive reporting thrived at The Times well before Matt Purdy joined our ranks three decades ago. But it is no exaggeration to say that in recent years the orchestration of much of our most important journalism, whether about the #MeToo movement, the business and politics of Donald Trump, or the Covid pandemic relied on Matt, our maestro of enterprise.
With patience, expertise and generosity, Matt has shaped a wide range of revelatory stories on our dedicated investigative teams and throughout the newsroom. Everything from major projects to competitive scrambles on top storylines had his imprint. Even after he stepped down from a formal newsroom leadership role two and a half years ago, we have all continued to marvel at Matt’s capacity to vet the many stories sent his way, and to make them better.
“Nobody should get more credit for turning The Times into an enterprise machine. His hands were on every big break,” said Dean Baquet. “And he also made the place kinder and more empathetic.”
Now, Matt has let me know that he intends to focus more on reporting and writing his own stories, especially for the Magazine. Happily, he will remain editor at large and a trusted adviser to me and others in newsroom leadership.
