The New York Times appoints first woman editor

For 160 years the New York Times has been setting the standards of newspaper journalism in the United States, with one significant exception – gender equality. Now the paradoxically nicknamed Gray Lady has finally redressed the balance with the appointment of its first female editor.
Jill Abramson will inherit the post of executive editor of the paper on 6 September, taking the helm of one of the most influential and widely read news organisations in the world at a time of deep turmoil in the newspaper industry.
Her appointment was greeted as a boost for women in a business that at the highest levels of management remains heavily male-dominated.
Abramson, who has worked at the paper since 1997 with stints as investigative reporter and Washington bureau chief, takes over the reins from Bill Keller, who stands down after eight tumultuous years. He began his tenure as editor in 2003 and was immediately presented with the challenge of stabilising the newsroom after the Jayson Blair scandal, in which a reporter was found to have been fabricating stories.

Photo shows Abramson and Keller