AJR  The Beat
From AJR,   October 2000

Back at the Plate    

The Boston Globe is charged with an error after it prematurely retires Will McDonough

By Lori Robertson
Lori Robertson (robertson.lori@gmail.com), a former AJR managing editor, is a senior contributing writer for the magazine.      


Oops! The Boston Globe is charged with an error after it prematurely retires Will McDonough, its sports columnist and associate editor, on June 30. McDonough turned 65 and, due to what the Globe thought was its policy, was asked to retire. But the done-at-65 rule, says Globe spokesman Richard Gulla, only applies to managers with supervisory responsibilities. Someone in employee relations, Gulla says, heard about the retirement and knew it was a mistake. Fortunately, the paper did not host a farewell party. "Will did not want that," Gulla says. The columnist, who returned full time in late August, "was going to stay with us in some capacity."

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