Jodi Kantor

Last night in the New York Times building, before a crowd of over 300, five members of the Times political team -- assistant managing editor Rick Berke, chief political reporter Adam Nagourney, online political editor Kate Phillips, and reporters Patrick Healy and Jodi Kantor -- held a surprisingly frank conversation about the 2008 presidential campaign and the relationship between the reporters and the candidates.

At the beginning of the presentation, Mr. Nagourney discussed the recent endorsement of Rudy Giuliani by Pat Robertson as "freaky," "weird" and "a stunt." He also echoed a widespread criticism of Republican candidate Fred Thompson, saying "I really think he's just not that into it."

At one point, Times assistant managing editor Rick Berke asked reporter Patrick Healy, who covers Hillary Clinton, whether the New York senator has forgiven him for the notorious A1 exegesis of the Clinton marriage he wrote last year. "No," Mr. Healy replied.  read more »

I am pleased to report that Arts & Leisure has a new editor. She is Ariel Kaminer.

Ariel was deputy editor of the section under Jodi Kantor and, before that, an editor on the Magazine under Adam Moss. She brings to the corner office of A&L a prodigious talent for developing ideas and writers and a keen eye for the changing currents of American and international culture. She knows the terrain and the horses riding upon it. And she has a fast wit and immense patience, two traits that will prove helpful as she works with me, Jim, and the subject area editors to realize the final chapter of the Culture Desk's reorganization: full integration of Arts & Leisure into the department's affairs.

Clues to what sort of things to look for in the Kaminer era can be found in the annals of TimesPast: provocative critical essays from our critics (think of Michael Kimmelman on museums and money, or Kelefa Sanneh on rockism); and richly marinated narrative journalism of the sort so often delivered to our brunch tables by Dan Wakin, Randy Kennedy, and Jesses Green and McKinley, among others.

Ariel is a champion of excellence. She is an enemy of the mundane.

Please welcome her.  read more »

TO THE STAFF:

Jodi Kantor came to The Times in early 2003 with a mandate to remake the Arts & Leisure section. Now, having accomplished this task with great skill, spirit and aplomb, and having helped in the process to remake the entire Culture Department, bringing new reporters, critics, editors and many, many new columns of news and opinion into its report, she has asked to take on a new challenge. Starting next month, Jodi will be a reporter on the "Way We Live" team, reporting to Suzanne Daley. "After a couple of years in the building," she said, "I'm dying to actually get out and report some stories myself."

Before she goes, though, it's worth taking some time to recognize Jodi's achievements here in the Culture Department. They have been myriad and important. First and foremost, of course, is the way in which Jodi has transformed the Arts & Leisure franchise, giving it not just a handsome new look but completely revamping its tone and substance. In the two-plus years since she brought in the low black chair and long gray couch that will now mark the position of A&L editor as surely as the inability to make dinner reservations on Tuesday nights, Jodi has not only given the section a news-driven focus (a real feat, given A&L's terrifying five-day lead time), but she has done so without sacrificing its devotion to richly narrative, long-form journalism -- or its punishing schedule of special issues. It's been a hell of a run.

Beyond Arts & Leisure, Jodi has also been at the center of the department's restructuring process. With Frank Rich, Steve Erlanger and some guy named Adam, and later with Jon Landman, Jim Schachter and me, Jodi helped draft the plans for the department as it now exists -- divided among subject areas, with vastly expanded roles for reporters, editors and critics--and played a crucial role in landing some pretty big fish: Manohla Dargis and Nicolai Ouroussoff among them. Hers will be large shoes to fill.

More on that subject later. In the meantime, please join the Culture Crew under the yellow umbrella on the northwest corner of the fourth floor, on Wednesday, July 27 at 5:45 p.m., to raise a glass to a woman who can't drink these days, but to whom so many of us owe thanks and to whom we'll offer a standing ovation for a job well done.  read more »