Kahn, in contrast, is known to be serious and reserved in professional settings - the kind of colleague who keeps his eyes down on his phone during elevator rides, according to one staffer.īut his journalistic credentials are unquestionable. Kahn is succeeding Baquet, the Times's first Black executive editor and a deft newsroom politician and schmoozer. He is also the embodiment of a classic New York Timesman: A Harvard-educated, career foreign correspondent from a privileged upbringing. Kahn's colleagues describe him as accomplished, bright, quiet, and a somewhat mysterious figure. A former Wall Street Journal business reporter, he is also said to have deeper ties with the business side of the paper than Baquet. role, Kahn has focused on shaping how the Times' journalism is presented, like the development of its "Live" breaking news product and the use of graphics and interactives, colleagues say. Baquet is staying on at the Times in a different position that the company says will be announced soon. Since 2016, he has served as managing editor under Baquet, who hit the paper's mandatory retirement age of 65 this year after being in the top editorial job at the paper since 2014 and steering the paper through a digital revitalization and the turbulent Trump years. The ascension of Kahn, 57, has long been expected. Kahn is replacing Dean Baquet, who is set to step down from the role in June, the company said. Joseph Kahn, the managing editor of the New York Times and a former foreign correspondent in China and international editor, has been named the next executive editor of newspaper.