The newly appointed Executive Editor of the NY Times underwent surgery to remove a malignant tumor from his kidney on Saturday, exactly one month after a tumultuous internal shake-up landed him in the job. Dean Baquet, 57, announced the operation in an email to staff this morning, explaining that doctors discovered the tumor on Thursday of last week and decided it needed "immediate attention." He had "minimally invasive, completely successful surgery," and told the staff "my doctors have given me an excellent prognosis."
Last month, Baquet's predecessor, Jill Abramson, was abruptly dismissed by publisher Arthur Sulzberger Jr. The sudden, opaque nature of Abramson's termination was shocking to many at the Times, and more controversy was generated when it was revealed that Abramson believed her compensation was less than her male predecessor, Bill Keller. (The Times strenuously denies this.) Baquet, who served as managing editor under Abramson, clashed with her repeatedly, and finally told Sulzberger Jr. that their relationship had become so frayed he intended to quit. Instead, Baquet replaced Abramson.
"I know this comes as we are all trying to move forward in the newsroom,” Baquet said in this morning's email. "I assure you that I will be back there as soon as possible." Ira Glass will be so relieved!
