Resigns after internal investigation

New York Times metro editor resigns after internal investigation

By MICHAEL CALDERONE

New York Times Metro editor Wendell Jamieson resigned from the newspaper following an investigation on Monday and apologized to colleagues for “mistakes” he made, according to a newsroom memo.

Times Executive Editor Dean Baquet and Managing Editor Joseph Kahn said in a memo that Jamieson’s departure follows an investigation, though they did not specify what it was over. They announced that Susan Chira, a veteran Times editor who was most recently a senior correspondent writing on gender issues, would step in as interim metro editor.

In the memo, Jamieson is quoted as saying that “leading Metro for the last five years and working with the incredible Times team has been the high point of my professional life.”

“I regret and apologize for my mistakes and leaving under these circumstances,” Jamieson said. “I'm especially proud of all the talent I've helped bring to The Times. Susan Chira is a wonderful editor, a true New Yorker, and I know Metro will rise to even greater heights under her leadership.”

Jamieson appears to be leaving over personnel issues, rather than a matter of Times journalism. But the Times is not commenting further in order to “protect the privacy of those involved,” editors wrote.

The cryptic Times memo has driven speculation inside the newsroom over what precipitated the investigation. The lack of transparency is also striking given the Times has aggressively covered workplace matters, including sexual harassment allegations, at media companies such as Vice Media and Fox News. That reporting, on top of its groundbreaking coverage of film producer Harvey Weinstein's legacy of harassment, won the Times a Pulitzer Prize this month.

Jamieson joined the Times in 2000 and has worked in Metro as assignment editor, city editor, and City Room blog editor, while also serving on the Styles desk.