Jill Abramson Named Executive Editor of The New York Times; Dean Baquet Named Managing Editor

The New York Times announced today that Jill Abramson has been named executive editor, and Dean Baquet has been named managing editor; both appointments are effective September 6, 2011. Ms. Abramson will succeed Bill Keller, who, after eight years as executive editor, will step down from that post to write regularly for both The New York Times Magazine and The Times’s new Sunday opinion and news section, The Sunday Review, set to launch on June 26. Mr. Baquet succeeds Ms. Abramson in the role of managing editor.

"Bill came to me several weeks ago and told me that he felt the time had come for him to step down from the role of executive editor,” said Arthur Sulzberger Jr., chairman of The New York Times Company and publisher of The New York Times. "I accepted his decision with mixed emotions. I’m truly grateful for the outstanding job he has done leading our newsroom for the past eight years, and I’m delighted we’re not losing him. Those of us at The Times will continue to benefit from his solid judgment, wisdom and insights, and our readers will once again benefit from hearing his powerful voice on a wide range of issues.”

Mr. Sulzberger continued, "Without question, Jill is the best person to succeed Bill in the role of executive editor. With him, she steered the newsroom through one of the most challenging periods in recent history, both economically and culturally. Over the past year, she has immersed herself in our digital strategy and led the effort to fully integrate the newsroom. This Web integration has made us a better news organization, able to maintain our high journalistic standards while adjusting our approach to the dissemination of news. An accomplished reporter and editor, Jill is the perfect choice to lead the next phase of The Times’s evolution into a multiplatform news organization deeply committed to journalistic excellence. She’s already proven her great instincts with her choice of Dean Baquet to serve as managing editor.”

Mr. Keller said, "It's been a privilege to work alongside the world's finest journalists during these exhilarating years of tumult and transformation. I wanted to move on when the newsroom felt strong in its journalism and secure in its future. It feels that way now, and with Jill as executive editor, it could not be in better hands."

Ms. Abramson said, "I am grateful for the opportunity to lead the editorial direction of The New York Times. It’s a dream job for any journalist and one that I am deeply honored to be asked to serve in. I have deep affection for this institution and for my many talented colleagues, and I look forward to all that lies ahead.”

Mr. Baquet said, "I am very excited to be joining Jill in New York to help lead our editorial strategy. I look forward to working directly with our outstanding team of reporters and editors around the globe as we continue to focus on high-quality and enterprising journalism.”

Ms. Abramson has been managing editor of The New York Times for eight years. She joined The Times in September 1997 and became Washington editor in 1999. In 2000, she was named Washington bureau chief. She moved to New York as managing editor in 2003.

Prior to joining The Times, Ms. Abramson worked for The Wall Street Journal, where she was deputy Washington bureau chief and an investigative reporter from 1988 to 1997. Prior, she was editor in chief of Legal Times, a weekly newspaper. Ms. Abramson received a B.A. in history and literature from Harvard College.

Mr. Baquet has been an assistant managing editor and Washington bureau chief for The New York Times since March 2007. Prior to rejoining The Times, he worked for the Los Angeles Times, where he served as managing editor before being named editor. During the 1990’s, Mr. Baquet was an investigative reporter and national editor for The New York Times in New York and Washington. He worked previously for The Times-Picayune in New Orleans and for the Chicago Tribune, where he was awarded a Pulitzer Prize for investigative reporting in 1988. He majored in English at Columbia University.

About The New York Times Company

The New York Times Company (NYSE: NYT), a leading media company with 2010 revenues of $2.4 billion, includes The New York Times, the International Herald Tribune, The Boston Globe, 15 other daily newspapers and more than 50 Web sites, including NYTimes.com, Boston.com and About.com. The Company's core purpose is to enhance society by creating, collecting and distributing high-quality news, information and entertainment.