THROWN OUT

I was with a photographer at the U.S. Capitol and at The Washington Times, where I worked for 21 years as a senior investigative reporter and received four Pulitzer Prize nominations for investigative journalism.

We were taking pictures for a book cover and inside pix for my forthcoming book, Journalism Is War -- book editor review copies scheduled for November and copies to hit book stores in January 2008.

I hoped to talk to my many friends at The Washington Times about what's been going on there since I left the newspaper in September 2005, and the brain-drain ever since.

Well, the wonderful chief of security, Gail Moore, who I knew for many years, came out and informed me in the presence of my photographer in the lobby of The Washington Times as I signed in as a visitor that she had been "told by upper management" -- meaning Francis B. Coombs Jr., managing editor and others -- that I was not welcome, and was ordered to leave the premises.

As I arrived outside the building, I met Gil Roschuni, the newspaper's R&D manager who had designed The Washington Times front page masthead and everything inside since I first joined the newspaper as its first hired reporter in early 1982 before the paper actually published its first edition.

Roschuni invited me to sign in and meet him as a visitor, but as soon as I did lobby security got a call telling them not to let Archibald into the building. So I left -- a 21-year veteran with four Pulitzer Prize nominations who brought in many of the newspaper's greatest front-page investigative story hits from 1982 until 2005.

What was the problem?

National reporter Audrey Hudson walked through the entry lobby while I was signing in with my photographer after my chat with Gil Roschuni. It was moments later that the lobby security receptionist got a call saying not to let me into the building and then Security Chief Gail Moore appeared to tell me that "upper management" had directed I be ordered off the property, but that my photographer and I were free to take our pictures for my book anywhere from the service road that circumvents The Washington Times building over which they had no control. And we did so.

Security Chief Gail Moore was most friendly, as were many other colleagues for many key editors who saw my photo shoot and said hello outside The Washington Times building and confided that morale is very bad as the paper has bled talent – the recent losses of Bill Sammon, chief White House reporter, and Rowan Scarborough, chief Pentagon reporter to The Washington Examiner, Charles Hurt, a chief Capitol Hill reporter, and Tony Blankley, editorial page editor, who has just joined Edeleman PR firm after top Reagan advisor and confidante  Michael Deaver died.

Gail Moore is wonderful in every sense, has worked up through the ranks at The Washington Times over more than a decade from security guard, saved the life of former editor-in-chief Arnaud deBorchgrave with CPR and mouth-to-mouth recovery when he collapsed in his office sometime in the 1990s, and was most gracious as she ordered me off the property on apparent orders from Managing Editor Francis B. Coombs Jr.

Two top advertising salesmen also recently left The Washington Times, Michael McGrath, advocacy ad manager and his top salesman Aaron Finely, They both went to Politico, an online newsletter.

Anyone who thinks these losses of talent and professionalism are not connected to The Washington Times' reputation as the white supremacist newspaper of Francis B. Coombs Jr. and Wesley Pruden Jr. is on drugs.

Based on what has happened over the past two years, The Washington Times is unhappily on its last legs unless it gets better editorial management to rejuvenate its newsroom and editorial pages.