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Here’s a stunning development from The Brooklyn Paper newsroom: Senior Reporter Mike McLaughlin has left The Paper after two award-winning years.

McLaughlin joined the staff of The Brooklyn Paper in 2007 and quickly emerged as the best reporter in the borough — a platitude not simply repeated in our newsroom, but in the corridors of the New York Press Association, which named McLaughlin its “Rookie of the Year” last year.

McLaughlin covered the big stories — such as the cleanup of Gowanus Canal, the redevelopment of Coney Island, the city’s mistreatment of the Red Hook food vendors, and the delays and missteps at Brooklyn Bridge Park — like nobody else. But he also chronicled the so-called “smaller” stories through his intense, blanket-like approach to Fort Greene and Clinton Hill, his primary beat, and other neighborhoods.

And he always had a keen eye for trends, such as the death of vegetarianism, a story that could have won him a Pulitzer Prize (if those awards weren’t rigged).

He also anchored our culture pages with his rapier theater reviews and his clear-eyed analysis of his own romantic shortcomings in his infrequent column, “The Search.”

“McLaughlin leaves enormously big shoes to fill,” said Brooklyn Paper Editor Gersh Kuntzman. “I don’t only mean that metaphorically. He actually left some old sneakers under his desk, which is a bit gross, but understandable. That said, he is a giant of his field and his departure is certain to send shockwaves throughout Brooklyn.”

McLaughlin would not reveal where he will work next, but issued a statement saying that he will still be covering Brooklyn for another newspaper, which “publishes its news daily.”

In a heartfelt video above, Kuntzman and new Senior Reporter Ben Muessig offered their sincere sadness about the loss.

©2009 Community Newspaper Group