New York Times appoints woman editor, first in 160 years
As Jill Abramson described it, being named editor of The Times was like "ascending to Valhalla." But there's competition in Valhalla, too, with Ms Abramson's old paper, the Wall Street Journal, leading the pack.
Ms. Abramson, 57, managing editor since 2003, has been one of Mr. Keller’s two top deputies overseeing the entire newsroom, said the paper. Her appointment was announced by publisher Arthur Sulzberger Jr., chairman of The New York Times Company.
Ms. Abramson, 57, said that as a born-and-raised New Yorker, she considered being named editor of The Times to be like "ascending to Valhalla."
"In my house growing up, The Times substituted for religion,” she said. “If The Times said it, it was the absolute truth."
Dean Baquet, 54, the Washington bureau chief, will be the new managing editor. He was previously the editor of The Los Angeles Times. The appointments take effect on September 6. Mr. Keller, 62, ran the newsroom "during eight years of great journalistic distinction but also declining revenue and cutbacks throughout the industry," said the Times. He said that with a formidable combination in place to succeed him, he felt it was a good time to step aside. Mr. Sulzberger said he accepted Mr. Keller’s resignation “with mixed emotions. The decision to leave was entirely Mr. Keller’s. “He’s been an excellent partner. And we’ve grown together. If that’s where his heart is and his head is, then you have to embrace that.” Ms. Abramson came to The Times in 1997 from The Wall Street Journal, where she was a deputy bureau chief and an investigative reporter for nine years.