• Recent investigations into the accuracy of Scott Horton’s National Magazine Award-winning story on the Guantanamo Bay suicides have some questioning the value of the MPA prize. Snagging an Ellie seems even to be the kiss of death at National Geographic Magazine. SVP of online content development Rob Covey was part of the magazine’s winning team for General Excellence in print and online. He was pushed out last week.
• School’s almost out for the summer in New York City, but when its back in session it’ll be under more scrutiny than ever. The New York Times is expanding its education coverage in the fall. They’ve already hired local education expert Anna Phillips away from GothamSchools.org for the project, rumored to be a blog edited by Metro desk editor Mary Ann Giordano.
• Yahoo News is muscling up for the 2012 election. They’ve poached Daily Caller reporter Chris Moody to make sense of those weird Republican people. “We wanted someone well-sourced on Conservative politics,” Yahoo News editor Chris Lehmann told Off the Record. “That’s where all the action is.” Mr. Moody told us he is looking forward to reaching a broader, bi-partisan readership. Prior to his life as a politics reporter, Mr. Moody was a commercial fisherman in Alaska. We hope for his sake a certain someone runs in 2012. They’ll have so much to talk about.
kstoeffel@observer.com