Jill Abramson
Jill Abramson
Jill Ellen Abramson is an American author and journalist best known as the former executive editor of The New York Times. Abramson held that position from September 2011 to May 2014. She was the first female executive editor in the paper's 160-year history. Abramson joined the New York Times in 1997, working as the Washington bureau chief and managing editor before being named as executive editor. She previously worked for The Wall Street Journal as an investigative reporter and a...
NationalityAmerican
ProfessionEditor
Date of Birth19 March 1954
CountryUnited States of America
Secrets don't stay secrets very long, even when journalists decide to censor themselves.
I think a lot about something: Abe Rosenthal was once asked what he wanted on his headstone, and he said he wanted it just to say, 'He kept the paper straight.' And I think about that a lot.
I think about the question of perspective in reporting all the time, and since I spent 20 years of my career in Washington as both a reporter and an editor I'm keenly aware that a newspaper should not be dominated by stories in which the only voices and perspective come from those in power.
With the fragmentation of television audiences and the advent of cable and on-demand services, the prestige of being an anchor is not what it was in the days of Walter Cronkite.
We talked about this a lot during my half-hour visit with her. She is receiving a torrent of supporting mail, and the letters help sustain her as well. Times colleagues are begging to go, and there is a long waiting list.
Budget cuts are a sad reality in most newsrooms, and I am concerned that they reduce the collective muscle of journalists who are doing the expensive, and often dangerous, work of on-the-ground reporting.
I'm a huge dog nut - giant, giant.
I have heard Obama officials say more than once, 'You will have blood on your hands if you publish this story.'
I don't keep up with Twitter all day long.
Her spirits seemed remarkably good, given the circumstances. I think what is keeping her going is that she believes she is serving a purpose, and that is the need for a federal shield law.
Her spirits seemed remarkably good, given the circumstances,
I am in awe of women who have full family lives and seem to work round the clock in the 24/7 news cycle.
My advice on getting a raise is what everybody's advice is: to become a confident negotiator; but that is so hard. My admiration for women who are good at that is unbridled. Women in general have a harder time talking about money with their bosses.
The times I didn't get jobs I wanted, I remember feeling dispirited - really crestfallen.