The Full Cleveland   

Sam Fullwood III leaves the Los Angeles Times Washington bureau to write a column for Cleveland's Plain Dealer.

Los Angeles Times Washington correspondent Sam Fulwood III gives up his Hill pass to become a thrice-weekly columnist for Cleveland's Plain Dealer . Apparently, more than a few people have asked him why. " 'So, why are you coming here?' " was the lead on his July 31 debut column, a quote from "countless Clevelanders." Fulwood, 44, covered Congress, federal agencies and two presidential campaigns during 10-and-a-half years with the Times. Though he has nothing but praise for the Times' Washington bureau, "right now, that isn't what I want to do," Fulwood says. "Cleveland is far more representative of America than official Washington is." Fulwood says he found it difficult as a reporter to find a place in the newspaper for the kinds of stories he wanted to write about race and social issues. "I think a columnist has a lot more latitude and isn't as constrained by the rules of reporting.... I still consider myself very much a reporter, more than anything else," Fulwood says. "But...I can have a point of view, I can give voice to what I'm trying to say." His new beat is broad: Column topics his first week ranged from a 70-year-old resident researching her far-flung family to Colin Powell 's speech at the Republican National Convention. Fulwood says he wants to "show Cleveland itself. I think that sometimes it's interesting [for readers] to have a fresh perspective about things that seem ordinary."