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Neal Rubin: "This is the kind of writing I think I do best."
Neal Rubin, who left the Detroit Free Press 22 years ago to become a Detroit News columnist, is returning to his old paper.
Rubin tells Deadline Detroit that he'll have a column each Thursday and Sunday at the Freep. Monday was his last day at The News.
For his new column, he said he'll be "finding interesting people, interesting scenes, maybe sometimes using a small story to make a larger point. I'll be leaving the politics by and large to the op-ed team."
As the staff shrunk at The News in recent years, Rubin went from being a columnist to writing more in-depth stories as part of the investigative team. But he says being a columnist is his preferred role.
"I loved my time at The News and made terrific friendships, but this is the kind of writing I think I do best and I’m looking forward to getting back to it."
Rubin worked at the Free Press from 1984 to 2000 before jumping to its rival.
Now, at the dailies' shared building downtown on Fort Street, he'll be one floor closer to the vending machines. "The News is on third floor and the Free Press is on the second floor. For those with a taste for red hot Cheetos, the vending machines are on the mezzanine."
► Update: News sportswriter Tony Paul, sharing a link to this article, tweets: "Huge loss for us at the Detroit News—but I’m glad Neal Rubin is going to be doing what he does best."
