Yesterday, Observer editor Peter Kaplan announced he was leaving the weekly after 15 years at the helm. Kaplan told the NY Times, "I’m 55, interested in a third act, and I’ve had my turn here. I want to take what I have learned and see if there is a way I can help figure out what is next for our business," and apparently that act is going to be at Conde Nast Traveler. The Times' David Carr writes, "Kaplan's skepticism and manifest enthusiasm have left a footprint on the vocabulary of contemporary journalism. Long before there were tatty, snarky blogs, the voice of amazed, gimlet-eyed hilarity was baked into Mr. Kaplan’s version of the weekly." While Observer publisher Jared Kushner said it was sad to see Kaplan leave, Gawker questions how Kushner spun Kaplan's departure in the Post. At any rate, Kaplan told his own staff, "I had a little newspaper in New York City. That’s as good as it gets. It’s better to have a little newspaper in New York City than a big newspaper in New York City. Because then you only have to report and write for the people you care about. And nobody else."
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