Hamil Harris is leaving The Washington Post

Hamil Harris, who has been a staff writer at The Washington Post for more than two decades, is leaving the newsroom.

The departure was announced on Tuesday in a memo by local editor Mike Semel, who called Harris “a presence at virtually every major news event in the Washington area for the past 24 years.”

Harris covered the attack on the Pentagon on 9/11, anchored coverage of the D.C. sniper attack and was on the scene of the Navy Yard shooting, Semel wrote:

He has charmed his way into the homes of victim’s and suspect’s families, actually found that neighbor who will say more than someone “seemed quiet,” and persuaded EMS technicians and many others with firsthand knowledge of events to give just a bit more information than they were supposed to.

Hamil also has taken us to neighborhoods, shops and churches that we otherwise wouldn’t know. He’s introduced us to a fascinating array of pastors and activists, giving them voice on our pages.

Washingtonian’s Andrew Beaujon called Harris’ departure “a major, generational change at The Post.”

Major, generational change at the Post: Hamil Harris is leaving.

— Andrew Beaujon (@abeaujon) December 13, 2016

Here’s the memo:

Hamil Harris, a presence at virtually every major news event in the Washington area for the past 24 years, is leaving The Post to teach the next generation of journalists.

Hamil is a determined reporter who combines a relentless pursuit of breaking news with a gift for successfully conducting interviews in the most difficult situations.

He often is the first reporter at major incidents. He was at the Pentagon on 9/11, at the center of our coverage of the DC snipers, at the Navy Yard and hundreds of other major events.

He has charmed his way into the homes of victim’s and suspect’s families, actually found that neighbor who will say more than someone “seemed quiet,” and persuaded EMS technicians and many others with firsthand knowledge of events to give just a bit more information than they were supposed to.

Hamil also has taken us to neighborhoods, shops and churches that we otherwise wouldn’t know. He’s introduced us to a fascinating array of pastors and activists, giving them voice on our pages.

Hamil worked on dozens of special projects, most notably the “Being a Black Man” series, a multimedia extravaganza that set the stage for what we can accomplish digitally today.

Most important, Hamil is everyone’s friend. That won’t change as he changes his focus. Please join us in celebrating Hamil’s run at The Post with cake and speeches Thursday at 3 in Metro.

Mike

Benjamin Mullin is the managing editor of Poynter.org. He previously reported for Poynter as a staff writer, Google Journalism Fellow and Naughton Fellow, covering journalism innovation, business practices and ethics. He’s also reported for USA TODAY College and The Sacramento Bee, and he was editor in chief of The Orion, Chico State’s student-run newspaper. An Air Force brat who grew up around Northern California, he’s still adjusting to the Florida sunshine.