Just a few weeks into his new job atop the New York Times masthead, following the sudden dismissal of Jill Abramson, Times executive editor Dean Baquet underwent surgery to remove a malignant tumor from his kidney. In a note to staff, the Times reports this morning, Baquet said the procedure was a “minimally invasive, completely successful surgery … my doctors have given me an excellent prognosis.” He’ll miss about a week of work.
The 57-year-old Baquet has not yet named a managing editor to the No. 2 role after being promoted in a dramatic (some would say messy) fashion last month. “I know this comes as we are all trying to move forward in the newsroom,” Baquet wrote, promising to keep “in touch” with the newsroom. “I assure you that I will be back there as soon as possible.”