NYT Publisher Sulzberger Says Abramson Firing Driven by Conduct

By Alan Bjerga May 18, 2014 12:00 AM ET

New York Times Co. (NYT) Chairman Arthur Sulzberger Jr. denied gender bias played any part in his decision to fire top editor Jill Abramson, saying she publicly mistreated colleagues and was a poor communicator.

“During her tenure, I heard repeatedly from her newsroom colleagues, women and men, about a series of issues, including arbitrary decision-making, a failure to consult and bring colleagues with her, inadequate communication and the public mistreatment of colleagues,” Sulzberger said in a statement released yesterday.

“I discussed these issues with Jill herself several times and warned her that, unless they were addressed, she risked losing the trust of both masthead and newsroom.”

Abramson discovered she was being paid less then her predecessor, Bill Keller, and was fired after confronting Sulzberger about the matter, according to Ken Auletta, media reporter for the New Yorker. Her complaint over what she perceived as pay disparity stood as one of the salient events that led to her dismissal, Auletta reported.

Sulzberger has denied that Abramson’s compensation wasn’t comparable with Keller’s, and in his statement said “a shallow and factually incorrect storyline has emerged” around the firing.

http://www.bloomberg.com/news/2014-05-17...by-conduct.html

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