By: Joe Strupp Todd S. Purdum of The New York Times has been named national editor of Vanity Fair, the magazine's editor, Graydon Carter, said in a statement released today. Purdum, a 23-year Times staffer known for his Washington-based analysis, will assume the newly created role and remain in the nation's capital.
"Astute political reporting, especially these days, requires steely determination and a finely tuned sixth sense -- Todd has those and more," Carter said in a statement. "His keen understanding of the people and politics in Washington and his take on pop culture make him a perfect fit for the magazine -- especially at this rather unbelievable time in our nation's history."
Purdum, 45, is a Princeton University graduate who began at the Times as a copyboy in 1982. He has also served at the paper as a diplomatic and White House correspondent, as well as the Los Angeles bureau chief. His Times assignments in New York included metropolitan reporter and City Hall bureau chief.
"Graydon has offered me a thrilling opportunity to do serious long-form journalism from Washington, and to scratch my inner pop-culture itch in exciting new ways," Purdum said in a statement. "I look forward to being the greenest and most eager member of Vanity Fair's talented team of writers and editors. The magazine has hit high notes in its coverage of Washington and political figures that I can only hope to aim for. I couldn't be more excited at the thought of trying."
Purdum is married to Dee Dee Myers, a former White House press secretary for President Clinton and currently a Vanity Fair contributing editor. They have two children.
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