Meet the new editor, same as the old editor: Brian McGrory will return to The Boston Globe

The Boston Globe just published the news that Brian McGrory will be returning as editor. McGrory left in early 2023 to become chair of Boston University’s journalism department. His return means that he’ll replace Nancy Barnes, who announced last week that she’d be stepping aside.

“Brian’s passion for the Globe and his love of Boston are deeply intertwined,” Boston Globe Media CEO Linda Henry said in a statement quoted by the Globe story. “We are thrilled to welcome Brian back and look forward to the work our world-class newsroom will continue to do under his leadership.”

What is most interesting about the article is that it contains not one word about this being an interim move. It sounds like McGrory is back at the helm. (Follow-up: In a statement to her employees, Linda Henry says that McGrory will be the permanent, not the “interim,” editor of the Globe, and that he has taken an extended leave from BU.)

McGrory was editor of the Globe from 2012 to 2023. The paper produced extraordinarily good work during those years, and McGrory was well-liked by the staff. He takes over at a time when the Globe’s strong growth in digital subscriptions has fizzled out.

I would attribute that more to the Globe’s mediocre UX than to its journalism, but this is a time when the paper needs inspirational leadership. Barnes got mixed reviews on that front, although I know that she had both supporters and detractors in the newsroom.