The New York Observer is reporting that Dexter Filkins, who has been one of the top war correspondents for the New York Times over the past decade, is moving to The New Yorker.
The Observer's Nick Summers writes that Filkins has been considering the decision for two months. He will leave the Times after a little over ten years, during which he drew widespread praise for his reporting from the front lines of the Iraq and Afghan wars. Filkins also wrote a book about his experiences in Iraq and Afghanistan called "The Forever War." At the New Yorker, he will branch out beyond war zones and cover a broader range of topics.
Summers also writes that the Times tried to get Filkins to stay by offering him total freedom in his writing:
"To keep Mr. Filkins at the Times, editors there offered him the freedom to write, essentially, whatever he wanted wherever he wanted, whether on the front page or in the Sunday magazine. He has delivered big scoops as recently as two weeks ago...and his role will be difficult to fill."
In an email to the Observer, Times executive editor Bill Keller called Filkins "a huge talent," and said that, although he will be missed, it is understandable that "after ten years of high-adrenaline, high-risk war reporting, he wants something completely different."