New York Times fiasco won鈥檛 go away with Jill Abramson鈥檚 departure
The firing of New York Times executive editor Jill Abramson has roiled an industry struggling to finds its way in changing times. Younger female journalists looked to her as a role model.
In this 2011 photo, managing editor Dean Baquet, executive editor Jill Abramson, center, and former executive editor Bill Keller, pose for a photo at the New York Times. The Times announced this week that Abramson is being replaced by Baquet after two and a half years on the job.
Fred R. Conrad/The New York Times/AP
The firing of New York Times executive editor Jill Abramson continues to rock the nation鈥檚 newspaper of record as well as an industry struggling to find its way through changing times 鈥� socially as well as technologically.
At the New York Times this week, writers, editors, and the newspaper鈥檚 spokeswoman faced a firestorm of questions, allegations, and heavily opinionated commentary about the circumstances and background of Ms. Abramson鈥檚 departure. Responses, it was clear, were as much for staff as for the rest of a media world fascinated by 鈥� in some cases gloating over 鈥� 聽the Times鈥檚 difficulties.
The newspaper鈥檚 management continues to vigorously deny that Abramson鈥檚 swift departure after a relatively short time on the job (less than three years) had anything to do with pay disparity or a sexist reaction to her style of management.
Meeting with the staff, Times publisher Arthur Sulzberger Jr. praised Ms. Abramson鈥檚 talents and accomplishments as a journalist, but he said 鈥渨e had an issue with management in the newsroom.鈥�
There are strong differences of opinion about that.
鈥淎s an observer, I don鈥檛 think this decision had much to do with Ms. Abramson being 鈥榩ushy,鈥� which is gender-related code for strong and opinionated,鈥� wrote Times public editor Margaret Sullivan, who analyzes the newspaper鈥檚 accomplishments and failures with considerable independence. 鈥淚t was more that she was undiplomatic and less than judicious in some management and personnel decisions. That matters when you鈥檙e supervising 1,250 people in a business being forced to reinvent itself.鈥�
In a follow-up piece, the Times quoted Kate Zernike, a metro reporter who has been on staff for 14 years: 鈥淭he rush to call this sexism is predictable, but unfortunate 鈥� and wrong. I think the truth, like it usually is, was more complicated. There are certainly gender issues at the paper, but I don鈥檛 think it鈥檚 right to see Jill鈥檚 departure as an expression of them.鈥�
But in a piece headlined 鈥淓diting While Female: Field notes from one of journalism鈥檚 most dangerous jobs,鈥� Politico magazine editor Susan Glasser writes that Abramson was 鈥渦nceremoniously dumped,鈥� that Ms. Glasser 鈥渉ad watched with dismay over the last year as any legitimate questions about her tenure were subordinated to tiresome, trite and utterly sexist debates over her 鈥榯emperament鈥� and whether it was the right one for a newsroom leader.鈥�
鈥淓ven the聽defense 鈥� and there were many defenders 鈥� was being waged on 鈥� the terrain of women鈥檚 personal qualities and whether they truly belong in the public positions that remain a man鈥檚 unquestioned privilege,鈥� Glasser writes. 鈥淚t was predictably awful, and I was not in the least bit surprised. Because this has happened to just about every woman I know who has dared to take up a highly visible leadership position in our great but troubled news organizations.鈥�
The circumstances under which Abramson left the Times 鈥� abruptly and said by Mr. Sulzberger to be because of her management style 鈥� has been particularly difficult for younger women in journalism, many of whom looked up to a women they saw as a strong role model.
鈥淎bramson鈥檚 presence allowed a new generation of women at the聽Times聽to begin to see a possible future in leadership at the paper, but it also helped disrupt the paper鈥檚 masculine approach to news coverage鈥攁nd allowed the paper to benefit from scoops it wouldn鈥檛 otherwise get,鈥� Amanda Hess wrote in Slate. 鈥淯nder Abramson, some of the聽paper鈥檚 biggest stories over the past three years were narrated by women.鈥�
Reporting turmoil in one's own ranks is always agonizing for writers and editors, whether it鈥檚 correcting serious mistakes in print or broadcast, conceding plagiarism, or acknowledging major in-house disputes.
This was true for the 海角大神 Science Monitor in 1988 when the newspaper鈥檚 three senior editors 鈥� including editor Kay Fanning, a prominent figure in American journalism and the first woman to serve as president of the American Society of Newspaper Editors 鈥� resigned in protest over budget and staffing issues, which rocked the newsroom as well as the church organization which publishes the Monitor.
So far, Abramson has not said anything publicly about her rough departure from the institution she so revered that she got a tattoo of the Times鈥檚 stylized 鈥淭鈥� logo.
On Monday, she is scheduled to give the commencement address at Wake Forest University in Winston-Salem, NC.
鈥淚 cannot think of a better message for the Class of 2014 than that of resilience,鈥� said Wake Forest President Nathan Hatch. 鈥淛ill Abramson鈥檚 accomplishments speak for themselves, and I am confident she will have an inspiring and timely message for our graduates.鈥�
It鈥檚 likely to be one of the most closely watched commencement addresses of 2014.