As I noted below, Ken Aulleta at The New Yorker puts a heavy emphasis on Jill Abramson finding out a male predecessor and a male subordinate both had higher compensation then she did. She purportedly approached senior management about this and this, in part, led to her dismissal.
The Times version of the story puts considerably more focus on an issue Aulleta treats in passing: Abramson’s desire to Janine Gibson from The Guardian to the paper to oversee digital with at least nominally the same title. Aulleta said it was understood that Gibson would report to Baquet. The Times has this point rather differently …
In recent weeks, people briefed on the situation said, Mr. Baquet had become angered over a decision by Ms. Abramson to try to hire an editor from The Guardian, Janine Gibson, and install her alongside Mr. Baquet in a co-managing editor position without consulting him. It escalated the conflict between them and rose to the attention of Mr. Sulzberger, who was already concerned about her style of newsroom management.
Though she had recently engaged a consultant to help her with this aspect of her job, Mr. Sulzberger made the decision to dismiss her earlier this month, and last week informed Mr. Baquet, according to people briefed on the situation.
One other notable point: The Times article notes in passing that Abramson reached a settlement with the Times, which makes pretty clear that whatever might have happened with disparate pay or a connection between her pressing the matter and her firing there will not be a lawsuit.
