So here's my "hot take" on @BariWeiss and her @NYTimes departure. She was a very good... editor.

Regardless of your views of Bari Weiss as a writer or pundit, she was also an editor. And as an editor, she always made my writing better.

I first worked with Bari when I was writing book reviews for the @WSJ, back when she was a @WSJBooks editor, and then I worked with her again on @NYTimes op-eds. She didn't just give a cursory copy edit, like many editors; she engaged deeply with my ideas.

Having @BariWeiss as editor meant more work, since many other editors would just give a cursory copy edit, but it also meant more improvement during the editing process. She was a rigorous editor who wanted support for every proposition.

There were times during the editing process when I'd say to myself, "Really, Bari? Do you really need me to track down that fact? Do we really need to turn this piece again?" But in the end, the extra work made for a better final product.

Bari was very supportive of the writers she edited. She was excited to learn, for example, that a piece I wrote got me a TV appearance (and she gave me tips for that medium). She also sent messages of support when I was in the hospital with #COVID19.

I've actually never met Bari Weiss in person. I can't say, like Bush did of Putin, that I've seen into her soul. I'm not in a position to pronounce her a Good Person or a Bad Person (and I try to avoid that anyway; who am I to judge).

But to her critics who say that @BariWeiss is not a journalist, I would note that editors are journalists too. And in my opinion, having worked with many editors at major publications over the years, Bari Weiss was a very good editor.