Dean Baquet to Lead a Forthcoming Times Initiative

The New York Times announced today that Joseph Kahn has been named executive editor, effective June 14. In this role, the newsroom’s highest-ranking position, Mr. Kahn will oversee all aspects of The Times’s global newsroom. Mr. Kahn, a two-time Pulitzer Prize-winning journalist who has been managing editor at The Times since September 2016, will succeed Dean Baquet.

In making the announcement, A. G. Sulzberger, the publisher of The New York Times and chairman of The New York Times Company, said, “Joe brings impeccable news judgment, a sophisticated understanding of the forces shaping the world and a long track record of helping journalists produce their most ambitious and courageous work. We couldn’t ask for a better leader for our newsroom amid a historic convergence of events. And as one of the architects of our digital transformation, Joe’s vision will be crucial as we seek to become even more valuable to readers around the world.”

From his tenure as Beijing bureau chief to his current role as second in command in running the newsroom as its managing editor, Mr. Kahn has distinguished himself through his journalism, leadership and record as one of the driving forces of The Times's digital transformation. He led a modernization and expansion of The Times’s newsroom by introducing a global, continuous news operation with major hubs in London and Seoul, and a digital-first editing structure. And more recently he has been a co-leader of the newsroom’s diversity, equity and inclusion action plan and efforts to improve the newsroom's culture. In the years Mr. Kahn led The Times's International desk, The Times won six Pulitzer Prizes for its international reporting.

Mr. Kahn said, “I’m deeply humbled to lead a global newsroom of immensely talented journalists who provide original, on-the-ground, indispensable reporting about the most important news of our time. The New York Times will continue to play an essential role in producing and protecting independent journalism.”

Mr. Baquet began his storied career as an investigative reporter in New Orleans and Chicago, where he won a Pulitzer Prize. At The New York Times, he has served as a reporter and editor for more than 26 years. Under his tenure as executive editor, Mr. Baquet has overseen historic growth of the newsroom, adding hundreds of journalists in areas ranging from investigative reporting to national and international coverage to visual and audio journalism. Some of the journalistic highlights during his time as executive editor include the reporting that unearthed how Harvey Weinstein, Bill O’Reilly and other prominent men used their position and influence to intimidate, harass and assault women; the Trump taxes investigation, which revealed the first comprehensive look at the Trump family’s finances; the 1619 Project, which examined slavery’s legacy in our country; and a series of investigations into the American air war in Afghanistan, Syria and Iraq. During his tenure the newsroom also launched new journalistic efforts like “The Daily,” Live, and Visual Investigations. Mr. Baquet has been a champion of independent journalism at the local and national level. Mr. Baquet will be staying at The Times in a role that will be announced soon.

Mr. Sulzberger said, “In the last eight years, Dean has fearlessly led The Times through an unbelievably challenging and consequential period, from guiding our transformation into a truly digital newsroom to confronting the escalating pressures on independent journalism to keeping pace with a historic flood of giant news stories. At the same time, Dean built the strongest investigative reporting operation on earth and oversaw a bounty of journalism that repeatedly changed the national conversation, from #MeToo, to “The Daily,” to the 1619 Project, to our coverage of the Trump administration, Covid pandemic and conflict in Ukraine.”

Mr. Baquet said, “It has been my great honor to lead the best newsroom in the world for the past eight years. I could not be leaving The Times in better hands than with a leader like Joe, who is not only brilliant but humane. I would like to thank the Sulzberger family for their continued dedication to protecting our country’s most powerful engine of independent, investigative journalism.”

During Mr. Baquet’s tenure as executive editor The Times has seen significant audience and subscriber growth and won 18 Pulitzer Prizes, including two for Public Service. The Times now reaches 100 million readers each month and had 6.7 million subscriptions to its print and digital news products as of the end of 2021.

Mr. Sulzberger added, “Under Dean and Joe, The Times has grown stronger in virtually every way. Our newsroom is larger than ever, with a far greater diversity of skills and backgrounds than ever before, and a culture that is more collaborative, supportive and inclusive. Our journalism has grown more ambitious, coming together in a multimedia report of unmatched depth and breadth, expertise and creativity. And the impact of our work has grown, as we serve readers and subscribers at a previously unimaginable scale.”

About The New York Times Company

The New York Times Company (NYSE: NYT) is a trusted source of quality, independent journalism whose mission is to seek the truth and help people understand the world. With 10 million subscriptions across a diverse array of print and digital products — from news to cooking to games to sports — The Times Company has evolved from a local and regional news leader into a diversified media company with curious readers, listeners and viewers around the globe. Follow news about the company at NYTCo.com.

View source version on businesswire.com: https://www.businesswire.com/news/home/20220418005578/en/