The editor of The Boston Globe, Brian McGrory, will step down in the coming months after leading the organization for 10 years, the newsroom was told on Wednesday.
Mr. McGrory, 60, will stay on until the end of the year or when there is a successor in place, Linda Henry, The Globe’s chief executive, said in a memo to the newsroom. Mr. McGrory will become the chair of Boston University’s journalism department and will write an opinion column for The Globe.
The Globe has already begun the search for its next editor, Ms. Henry said.
“For the past 10 years, Brian has been a vital part of the leadership of this organization as we embarked on a radical transformation,” Ms. Henry wrote in the memo.
“He gave The Globe the greatest advantage that a media organization can have: unrelentingly high journalistic standards, an innovative mind-set, and a deep commitment to the communities that we proudly serve,” she added.
Mr. McGrory said in a statement that being editor of The Globe was “one of the best jobs in the city and in all of journalism,” but “10 years is enough.”
“I’m proud of the incredible things this whole organization has accomplished, and The Globe will benefit greatly from the fresh perspectives of a new editor,” he said.
Mr. McGrory, a former paperboy for The Globe, joined the newsroom in 1989 and had stints as a White House correspondent, columnist and metro editor. He was named the top editor in December 2012, replacing Marty Baron, who left to become the executive editor of The Washington Post.
At the time, The Globe was owned by The New York Times Company, which had bought the publication and its other properties in 1993 for $1.1 billion. The Times sold them in 2013 for $70 million to John W. Henry, the owner of the Boston Red Sox and the Liverpool Football Club and the husband of Ms. Henry.
During Mr. McGrory’s tenure, The Globe’s newsroom won three Pulitzer Prizes. It focused on bolstering its digital offerings as print circulation continued to slide.
The 150-year-old Globe is, Ms. Henry said, “arguably the most successful regional news organization in the country.” A spokeswoman said The Globe now has 235,000 paying digital subscribers.
