Altman Steps Down... and Up?

Howard Altman, the best-known voice of this newspaper, is no longer its editor in chief. Whether he continues to be heard from these pages is still to be determined, though I sincerely hope that once the hurt, confusion and dismay that have come over this paper dissipates, Howard will assume the role to which he seems to have been born: that of investigative reporter.

I hired Howard 10 years ago, when I still owned City Paper. As an investigative journalist, Howard has no peer here or elsewhere. He's clever, committed, honest, dogged, sly, penetrating and comprehensive. His research is original, his voice is authentic. If imitation is the highest form of flattery, Howard was recently lionized by the Inquirer -- which finally checked out Vince Fumo's finances, a path that Howard blazed six years ago in these pages.

Howard is an inspiration as a journalist. And as a tribute to Howard's own honest pursuit of the facts, I must be perfectly candid about his skill as editor in chief, at least as I experienced it.

For years, Howard edited this column on and off, and did so last year, after he took over the job of editor in chief. But within weeks, I had to request another editor. I needed more hand-holding than Howard could give me. And remember, I founded this paper and have written for it for over 20 years.

If Howard's dilemma sounds like a classic situation, it is. Here's a terrific journalist trapped in an editing job -- seeking to do great work, but mired in minutiae. The editor in chief is a job that Howard very much sought. But in my opinion, at this paper, at this time, it was not the job for him. I say this with some authority, because I edited this paper for 10 years. And I can say this with unblemished hindsight, since I had no part in the decision to install or to remove him.

My friend, Paul Curci -- the associate publisher when I owned this place, and now publisher -- did the right thing in asking Howard to leave the editor's post. And Paul did the right and very courageous thing to admit that this was the wrong job here for Howard. If Paul's candor seems remarkable, it is again in tribute to Howard -- whose integrity and decency inform every part of his life, both at work and at home.

Here's something else: Even after the pain of this transition, Paul and the staff are hoping -- asking -- Howard to continue gracing these pages as an investigative reporter. Investigative reporting is a newspaper's most important mission, and I hope that Howard will find a place to do here what he does better than just about anyone else.

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