New York Times replaces executive editor

The New York Times replaced Executive Editor Jill Abramson on Wednesday with Managing Editor Dean Baquet.

It was unclear what triggered the surprise move. Abramson, 60, was named executive editor in September 2011.

Baquet, 57, had been an assistant managing editor and Washington bureau chief for the New York Times since March 2007. Before that he was editor of the Los Angeles Times.

The Pultizer-prize-winning journalist becomes the first black editor to lead the New York Times.

“There is no journalist in our newsroom or elsewhere better qualified to take on the responsibilities of executive editor at this time than Dean Baquet,” Arthur Sulzberger Jr., publisher of the New York Times, said in a written statement. “He is an exceptional reporter and editor with impeccable news judgment who enjoys the confidence and support of his colleagues around the world and across the organization.”

Sulzberger said Abramson had his sincere “thanks for not just preserving and extending the excellence of our news report during her time as executive editor, but also for inspiring her colleagues to adjust their approach to how we deliver the news.”

In the same statement, Abramson said: “I’ve loved my run at The Times. I got to work with the best journalists in the world doing so much stand-up journalism. Holding powerful institutions accountable is the mission of The Times and the hallmark of my time as executive editor, whether stories about China, government secrecy, or powerful figures and corporations.”