Gray Lady Has Her Knickers in a Bunch

7/30/2019 Gray Lady Has Her Knickers in a Bunch

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: Gray Ladyhas her knickers in abunch

Turbulence at The TimesBy: Dylan Byers

April 23, 2013 08:59 PM EDT

One Monday morning in April, Jill Abramson called Dean Baquet into her office to complain.The executive editor of The New York Times was upset about the papers recent newscoverage she felt it wasnt buzzy enough, a source there said and placed blame onBaquet, her managing editor. A debate ensued, which gave way to an argument.

Minutes later, Baquet burst out of Abramsons office, s lammed his hand against a wall andstormed out of the newsroom. He would be gone for the rest of the day, absent from theeditors daily 4 p.m. meeting, at which he is a fixture.

I feel bad about that, Baquet told POLITICO in a recent interview. The newsroom doesnt

need to see one of its leaders have a tantrum.

The episode electrified the newsroom, and details of what staffers described as thealtercation Baquet called it a disagreement spread to other Times bureaus. But oncethe story had made the rounds, it wasnt Baquet the staffers were griping about. It was

Abramson.
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In recent months, Abramson has become a source of widespread frustration and anxietywithin the Times newsroom. More than a dozen current and former members of the editorial

staff, all of whom spoke to POLITICO on the condition of anonymity, described her asstubborn and condescending, saying they found her difficult to work with. If Baquet had burstout of the office in a huff, many said, it was likely because Abramson had been unreasonable.

Every editor has a story about how shes blown up in a meeting, one reporter said. Jill canbe impossible, said another staffer.

Just a year and a half into her tenure as executive editor, Abramson is already on the verge oflosing the support of the newsroom. Staffers commend her skills and her experience butquestion whether she has the temperament to lead the paper. At times, they say, her attitude

toward editors and reporters leaves everyone feeling demoralized; on other occasions, shecan seem disengaged or uncaring.

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Baquet, who spoke positively of Abramson and of their relationship, acknowledged thesefrustrations but didnt lend them much credence.

I think theres a really easy caricature that some people have bought into, of the bitchywoman character and the guy who is sort of calmer, he said. That, I think, is a little bit of an

unfair caricature.

Caricature or portrait, such feelings are starting to drain morale in a newsroom that is alreadyanxious about the changing nature of the media industry and scarred by the recent round ofbuyouts, which saw the departure or reassignment of many high-level editors. To add insult toinjury, Abramson has been notably absent or AWOL, as several staffers put it at keyperiods when the Times required leadership.

The Times is leaderless right now, one staffer said. Jill is very, very unpopular.

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Abramson declined to talk to POLITICO for this article. In an email, Times spokespersonEileen Murphy said Abramson was deeply engaged as executive editor and described her asthe voice of the newsroom in continued conversations regarding the Timess global and digitalevolution.
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Murphy also explained that, in addition to visiting Times bureaus, Abramson is sometimesrequired to travel to represent the newsroom in important business decisions and also as anambassador of The Times to industry gatherings, much like previous editors before her.

Abramsons unique status as the first female editor of The Times means she gets even more

of these opportunities, Murphy wrote.

I dont buy the notion that shes not here enough, Baquet said. Shes the executive editor ofone of the most important news organizations in the country and the first woman. Shes animportant spokeswoman for the industry, which is part of the gig. Im not quite sure peoplegive her as much credit as she deserves.

Abramson deserves credit: Two weeks after her argument with Baquet, The New York Timeswon four Pulitzer prizes for Investigative Reporting, Explanatory Reporting, InternationalReporting, and Feature Writing the third biggest Pulitzer take-home in the papers history.

(We are exceptionally proud of the four Pulitzer Prizes just awarded to Times journalists forstories conceived and executed under her direction, Murphy said.) In the hours and days thatfollowed, The Times would provide some of the best and most reliable reporting on the BostonMarathon bombing and the subsequent investigation.

Day after day, from foreign policy to state politics to special sections, The Times publishessome of the most impressive and informative journalism offered on the American newsstand.

At the same time, it has embraced innovative digital strategies; Snow Fall, an interactive,multimedia article published in December, is one of several Times projects that has beenheralded as showing the way forward for online journalism.

All of which is to say that The New York Times continues to be a great paper. And despite thefrustrations in the newsroom, Abramson is still respected there, while few doubt her wisdom orher experience.

Shes an incredible talent. Theres no question she deserves to be where she is, one staffersaid.

Indeed, sources who complain about her leadership tend to want more access to her, not less.

Its frustrating because she is such a smart person. When Jill is on her game, she is one ofthe smartest people Ive ever met, one staffer said. But shes not a naturally charismaticperson shes notapproachable.

Yet inside The Times, the scene staffers describe is quite dour.

The frustrations with Abramson predate her tenure as executive editor she has been at the


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paper since 1997, following a decade with The Wall Street Journal but they seemedinsignificant in the months after her promotion. At that time, Abramson, the first female editorin the papers 160-year history, seemed to be ushering in a new era of much-needed change.Her popularity was enhanced in the trade press by her tough-as-nails reputation she had

been hit by a truck near the Times offices in Manhattan; she had a tattoo and by herapparent interest in digital journalism (her presence at South by Southwest, the annual tech,music and film festival, was portrayed as a sign of the times).

Then, the glow faded. Months into the job, reporters and editors once again took notice ofwhat they described as Abramsons brusque approach, which had become only morepronounced now that Abramson was running the show. Every New York Times executiveeditor has demonstrated the ability to cut someone off at the knees, sources acknowledge, but

Abramson did it with a frequency that was demoralizing to almost everyone involved.

In one meeting, Abramson was upset with a photograph that was on the homepage. Ratherthan asking for a change to be made after the meeting, she turned to the relevant editor and,according to sources with knowledge of the meeting, said bluntly, I dont know why youre stillhere. If I were you, I would leave now and change the photo.

In another meeting, an editor asked about The Times Companys recent decision to renamethe International Herald Tribune as The International New York Times. Abramson reportedlysnapped: That issue has been settled, she said. Why would we even bother getting into that?

Its beginning to reach Howell Raines-like proportions, one staffer said, referring to the

former executive editor who, from 2001 to 2003, is reported to have ruled the paper throughhumiliation and fear before being forced to resign after the Jayson Blair plagiarism scandal.

Others cautioned against such a drastic comparison. Indeed, some think Abramsonsdismissive tone may even be inadvertent. I dont know if she realizes how condescending shecan be, one staff member said.

Abramson speaks in a slow drawl the equivalent of a nasal car honk, according to KenAuletta, who profiled her for The New Yorker. It gives her the impression of being distant,almost bored. But the condescension is often noted by others present at meetings. On at leastone occasion, sources said, an editor has privately approached Abramson to recommend sheapologize to the offended party.

On other days, Abramson seems disengaged from the newsroom. When Jill is engaged, noone was better. Shes an incredible journalist, one former staffer said. But as often as not,


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she can be totally absent. There are days when she acts like she just doesnt care.

Abramsons decision to leave town when the paper was undergoing its most recent round ofbuyouts, in January, only reinforced the belief that she is uncaring. In the days leading up to

the buyout deadline, Abramson was at the Sundance Film Festival. After the deadline, whilethe newsroom was bidding adieu to some of the editors who took those buyouts includingculture editor Jonathan Landman, sports editor Joseph Sexton, and assistant managing editorJim Roberts she was in Cuba, reportedly trying to obtain accreditation for the paper.

These were critical times in the buyout stage, said a former staffer. It seemed like a veryawkward time for her to be jetting off to Sundance.

If Abramson is disengaged, Baquet is just the opposite: He cares about newsroom morale andhe cares about being liked, staffers say. Thats not to say he doesnt have his own i ssues. As

Washington bureau chief, he got so upset when a story didnt make the front page that hedrove his fist through the wall. (I never lose my temper at a person, he said. I lose mytemper at walls.) But even this anecdote is recalled fondly.

Increasingly, it is Baquet, not Abramson, to whom staffers turn when theyre seeking a litmustest of the Times future. Where Abramsons approach has caused anxiety, Baquets ability tomarch forward has provided reassurance.

The whole point of leadership is to make people feel good about going the extra mile for thereader, one staff member said. Dean makes people feel good which, under the

circumstances, is something.

Newsrooms are on edge right now, Baquet said. People look for signs when theres a littlebit of uncertainty, which is why I feel bad that it got out that I had a temper tantrum.

Its not a managing editor thing to do, he added. I dont want to put the newsroom on edge.

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Gray Lady Has Her Knickers in a Bunch