Sulzberger denies sexism played role in firing…

Arthur Sulzberger Jr., publisher of The New York Times, denied Saturday that sexism played a role in his decision to fire Jill Abramson as the paper's executive editor and said he made the move because she had lost the support of her senior management colleagues.

"I concluded that her management of the newsroom was simply not working out," he wrote. "During her tenure, I heard repeatedly from her newsroom colleagues, women and men, about a series of issues, including arbitrary decision-making, a failure to consult and bring colleagues with her, inadequate communication and the public mistreatment of colleagues."

His public statement on the abrupt termination that occurred Thursday appears to be an attempt to quash growing speculation among media watchers, fanned by anonymous leaks and loud reiterations in social media, about why she was let go.

"Perhaps the saddest outcome of my decision to replace Jill Abramson as executive editor of The New York Times is that it has been cast as an example of the unequal treatment of women in the workplace," he said, in a statement. "Rather than accepting that this was a situation involving a specific individual who, as we all do, has strengths and weaknesses, a shallow and factually incorrect storyline has emerged."

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Ken Auletta, a media critic of The New Yorker who once wrote a profile of Abramson, reported late Thursday that Abramson was upset that she was paid less than her predecessor and confronted Sulzberger about the pay gap.

The Times has denied that she was paid less and Sulzberger repeated the denial. "Fueling this has been persistent but incorrect reports that Jill's compensation package was not comparable with her predecessor's. This is untrue," Sulzberger said. "Jill's pay package was comparable with Bill Keller's; in fact, by her last full year as executive editor, it was 10% highe! r than his. Equal pay for women is an important issue in our country -- one that The New York Times often covers."

Sulzberger said Thursday that Abramson, who has a reputation for a hard-charging personality, was fired for issues related to her "management" style.

Abramson was warned by Sulzberger of the perceived shortcomings, and she acknowledged that "there were issues," he said. "It became clear, however, that the gap was too big to bridge and ultimately I concluded that she had lost the support of her masthead colleagues and could not win it back."