Before This Blogger Moves On, He Wants To Say Thanks

By Mark Memmott

Published April 25, 2014 at 1:16 PM CDT

Mark Memmott: All packed up and ready to move on to a new role at NPR.

The Two-Way is just shy of its fifth anniversary, on May 13.

This blogger has written just over 9,700 posts for NPR — almost 9,500 of them for The Two-Way.

It seems like a good time to move on.

Next week, I'll be on vacation. When I return to work May 5, I'll be taking on the duties of "standards and practices" editor at NPR and no longer blogging for The Two-Way.

According to our ethics handbook:

"The Standards and Practices Editor is a resource — someone to help [NPR staff] raise the right questions, involve the appropriate stakeholders and uphold our standards. ... Well-versed in the workings of our news operation, this editor is responsible for facilitating thoughtful, consistent ethical decision-making on any matter related to our journalism, whether it regards granting anonymity to a source or attending a charitable event.

"The Standards and Practices Editor is also charged with cultivating an ethical culture throughout our news operation. This means he or she coordinates regular training and discussion on how we apply our principles, monitors our decision-making practices to ensure we're living up to our standards, and oversees the continual development of the ethical guidelines collected in this handbook."

I'll do my best to fulfill those responsibilities.

Before heading off, though, I want to express my appreciation to everyone.

Thank you, Two-Way readers, for joining us as we navigate the news. Our mission, as we've said from the start, is to be "the place to come for breaking news, analysis and for stories that are just too interesting — or too entertaining — to pass up."

Judging from the traffic we get to the blog and the many comments our posts receive, we seem to have achieved our mission in the eyes of many readers. Thanks again for riding along.

Over the past five years, I hope you'll agree that we've done a credible job covering a wide variety of stories, including:

The Heartbreaking

-- "Haiti Rocked By Magnitude 7 Earthquake Near Capital; Catastrophe Feared"

-- "Tragedy In Connecticut: 20 Children, 6 Adults Killed At Elementary School"

-- "Funerals Begin In Tornado-Ravaged Moore, Okla."

The Heartwarming

-- "An Act Of Kindness: Photo Of NYPD Officer Giving Barefoot Man Boots Goes Viral"

-- "Year Later, 'Aaron's Last Wish' To Leave A $500 Tip Lives On"

-- "In Cleveland, 30 Minutes Of Bravery Ended 10-Year Nightmare"

The Bizarre

-- "Colo. Boy Safe; Turns Out He Never Left The Ground"

-- "FATBERG! 15-Ton 'Lump Of Lard' Removed From London Sewer"

-- "Oh Snap! U.S. Tourist Breaks Finger Off 600-Year-Old Statue"

The Controversial

-- "Watch The Creationism Vs. Evolution Debate: Ken Ham And Bill Nye"

-- "In White House Vs. Fox News War Of Words, Who Gets Your Vote?"

-- "Stories Merge As 'Duck Dynasty' Fans Plan 'Chick-Phil-A' Day"

Readers have also indulged me when I've drawn my family and friends into the news or expressed some personal preferences:

-- "Missing Your Dad? Talk To Someone Who Knew Him Long Ago"

-- "Shouldn't Rush Be In The Rock And Roll Hall Of Fame?"

-- "Welcome Home, Tahir: Afghan Escaped Taliban With 'Times' Reporter"

Once again, thanks. The blog is in good hands with Eyder Peralta, Scott Neuman, Bill Chappell and the other names you see here often. It also has the wise guidance of someone you probably don't know because she's behind the computer screen: editor Catherine Laidlaw.

Wish me luck in my new endeavor. I won't say goodbye because there's always the chance I'll be back and I just might pop into the Two-Way's comments threads every now and then.

Instead of "so long," how about just "see you later"?