Syndicate Exec in Favor of Ex-Bush Aide as 'WaPo' Columnist

By: Dave Astor Alan Shearer has said in the past that a journalism background is an important element for Washington Post Writers Group columnists. So what does the WPWG editorial director/general manager think of Michael Gerson, a former President Bush aide and speechwriter, joining The Washington Post and WPWG op-ed lineup next year?

"I'm very much in favor of it," said Shearer, when contacted today by E&P.

He explained that Gerson formerly worked at U.S. News & World Report and will write for the Post for at least a short while before getting distributed by WPWG. So, said Shearer, Gerson will have journalism "bona fides" when he enters syndication.

Shearer did say that if Gerson had approached WPWG without having a spot on the Post op-ed page, the syndicate might have been reluctant to sign him.

The WPWG executive added that he wasn't involved in the column negotiations between the Post and Gerson, but was "kept in the loop."

Shearer said Gerson is following a government-to-newspaper path similar to the one taken by William Safire, who worked for the Nixon administration before becoming a New York Times/New York Times News Service op-ed columnist.

What does Shearer think of Gerson? "He's a terrific writer and thinker," Shearer replied. "He'll have something to say long after this administration leaves office."

Gerson will join a lineup of WPWG op-ed columnists that includes David Broder, E. J. Dionne, Ellen Goodman, Jim Hoagland, Charles Krauthammer, Ruben Navarrette, Kathleen Parker, Eugene Robinson, and George Will, among others.