The New York Times has named the paper’s current managing editor Dean Baquet as the new executive editor after Jill Abramson stepped down from the top position unexpectedly, the paper said on Wednesday.
Ms. Abramson, who took over as executive editor in 2011, was the first woman to hold the paper’s top position. The reason for her resignation is unknown.
“I’ve loved my run at The Times ,” Ms. Abramson told the paper. “I got to work with the best journalists in the world doing so much stand-up journalism.” Mr. Baquet, a Pulitzer Prize winning journalist, will become the first African-American to lead one of the most respected and influential newspapers of the United States.
“It is an honour to be asked to lead the only newsroom in the country that is actually better than it was a generation ago... one that approaches the world with wonder and ambition every day,” Mr. Baquet said.
