In what's being called a "historic and sudden shake-up" at the New York Times, Jill Abramson has been named the first female executive editor, and former Los Angeles Times Editor and Executive Vice President Dean Baquet will take over as managing editor.
According to the Daily Beast, "There was a plausible rival [for the executive editor position] in the person of Dean Baquet, the Washington bureau chief, who moves up to managing editor. Baquet was a dynamic editor of the Los Angeles Times before resigning amid the wreckage of Tribune Co. budget cuts. He may still become the first African-American editor of The New York Times."
The new positions mean that one of the world's most influential newspapers will have a woman and an African American in its top two jobs.
Baquet began his career as a reporter in New Orleans in the late 1970s. In 1988 he shared a Pulitzer Prize for the Chicago Tribune's coverage of City Hall corruption. Later he took over at the Los Angeles Times as the paper struggled with decreased circulation and with the threat of major budget cuts; he is well-known for his refusal to cut staff there. He'll undoubtedly continue to make his mark on journalism in this new and prestigious post.
Read more at the Daily Beast and Politico.
In other news: Rep Can't Verify That 'Weinergate' Twitter Pic Isn't Him.
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