Baquet’s New Role
Last week’s big news was that The New York Times named managing editor Joseph Kahn as successor to longtime executive editor Dean Baquet, who is about to turn 66 — the typical age that masthead editors step down from the role.
This week’s big news from the Gray Lady is Baquet’s next move.
In a memo sent to staffers Tuesday, publisher A. G. Sulzberger repeated that Baquet will remain at the publication and revealed that he will lead a new local investigative journalism fellowship at the newspaper.
“As I’ve said several times in the last week, Dean is perhaps the finest editor The Times has ever known. He has a deep passion for local and investigative work, and this initiative pits his relentless journalistic mind and ability to nurture talent against one of our industry’s most urgent needs,” Sulzberger said.
According to the memo, the yearlong fellowship, targeted especially at applicants with backgrounds that are underrepresented in newsrooms and investigative reporting, will produce investigative projects “focused on the state and local level, where deeply reported accountability journalism is most needed.”
As well as being mentored by Baquet, the budding journalists will have access to a group of veteran investigative editors who he’ll handpick.
“The decline of local investigative reporting is a national tragedy. It means that fewer and fewer people across the country have access to essential information about their communities — too often there is no one to track school board meetings; comb through court dockets, or reveal the significance of everyday developments in towns, cities and states,” Sulzberger added. “No watchdog to keep local governments honest. No one to pursue a tip or unearth hidden information. As a result, it’s almost certain that corruption, injustice and wrongdoing go unnoticed. It’s our hope that this fellowship can play a small role in addressing this dangerous and growing societal gap.”
For his part, Baquet, who got his start as a reporter for The States-Item and The TimesPicayune in his hometown of New Orleans and later, at The Chicago Tribune, said: “I care deeply about investigative reporting. And I fear a future where there’s less of it as more and more news organizations have to cut back. I would love to have the chance to help train a new generation of investigators.” (Where these investigators will publish their stories remains a question. According to numerous studies and reports, more than 2,000 local newspapers have closed or merged since 2004, and about 6 percent of U.S. counties don’t have a local newspaper.)
Kahn, meanwhile, will step into his new role on June 14, overseeing all aspects of
The Times’ global newsroom. Since taking on the role of managing editor, Kahn has led a modernization and expansion of The Times’ newsroom by introducing hubs in London and Seoul, and a digital-first editing structure. More recently, he has been a coleader of the newsroom’s diversity, equity and inclusion action plan.