Even so, Solomon — who held three editorial posts at the Wall Street Journal before joining the Globe — doesn’t expect his promotion to prompt major turf wars. “I’ll work through moral suasion and the kindness of strangers,” he tells the Phoenix. “What I’m telling people is, I want to be their doctor and their lawyer. Their doctor, in the sense of having them work through stories, which can mean anything from major hands-on editing with an editor and reporter to saying, ‘Shit, that’s a really good idea you’ve executed brilliantly, and all I’m going to do now is smile,’ to everything in between. And their lawyer, in the sense that once I’m convinced a story is good, I’m going to be a tremendous advocate for that story with the Page One decision-making process.”

Solomon also says he wants to pack the front page with stories that immediately grab readers’ attentions. This won’t be easy. On May 21, Solomon’s first official day at his new job, the Globe topped Page One with a story on the impact a rumor of marital infidelity is having on the town of Hooksett, New Hampshire — an (ahem) interesting choice. Then again, the next day’s front page featured an intriguing story about an artist who’s obsessively photographed himself for decades — the sort of idiosyncratic cultural coverage that rarely shows up on A1.

Of course, McGrory, Solomon, and Leung are just getting started. It’s going to take a while to know if the new, reconfigured Globe hierarchy is good for the paper and good for readers. For now, one thing is clear: a paper that’s been struggling with depression just got a much-needed dose of Prozac.

On the Web
Adam Reilly's Media Log: //www.thephoenix.com/medialog