Steven Waldman, the founding editor in chief of Beliefnet who saved the religious news site from bankruptcy, is leaving for the FCC:
I’m going to become “Senior Advisor to the Chairman” at the FCC, helping (in the words of the press release) “to assess the state of media in these challenging economic times and make policy recommendations designed to ensure a vibrant media landscape.
In a way, it feels a bit like 1999 for me. I started Beliefnet because I thought a particular group—people of faith—weren’t getting the information they needed. Now, there may be a more systemic crisis in journalism and I’m honored to be able to help address that.
One last factor: I know Julius Genachowski, the new chairman of the FCC, quite well. He’s as talented, honest and decent a person as you’ll find in public service.
I won’t be able to resist reminiscing in this space before I leave—about the extraordinary people I’ve worked with, the caring people I’ve met in the faith and spirituality community, and about how privileged I feel to have been given this gift for the past 10+ years.
This is big news, even if you haven’t seen any mention of it.
