1st Female NY Times Editor Out, 1st Black Editor In

Jill Abramson leaving, Dean Baquet taking over
By Newser Editors and Wire Services
Posted May 14, 2014 2:44 PM CDT
NY Times Replaces First Female Editor With First Black Editor
A 2011 photo of Dean Baquet, Jill Abramson, and Bill Keller of the 'New York Times.'   (AP Photo/The New York Times, Fred R. Conrad)

Jill Abramson is out as executive editor of the New York Times after less than three years on the job, reports Mediaite. She was the first woman to hold the position, and she will be replaced by the first African-American to do so as well—managing editor Dean Baquet takes over effective immediately. As the Times' own account of the surprise move notes, "the reasons for the switch were not immediately clear." At a staff meeting, publisher Arthur Sulzberger said Abramson's departure is related to "an issue with management in the newsroom," not the quality of the newspaper's journalism.

"This is not about any disagreement between the newsroom and the business side," he added. In her own brief statement, Abramson said: “I’ve loved my run at the Times. I got to work with the best journalists in the world doing so much stand-up journalism." Abramson's rein "was marred by disagreements with Times CEO Mark Thompson, who took an unprecedently hands-on approach to managing the paper's editorial resources," writes Dylan Byers at Politico. "She also suffered from perceptions among staff that she was condescending and combative, though such criticisms were widely criticized as sexist." The move comes on the heels of a recent post by the newspaper's public editor lamenting the lack of women in leadership positions in the industry. (More New York Times stories.)

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