From a politico.com column by John F. Harris headlined “Bland Ambition: What the Joe Kahn Choice Says About the New York Times”:

Joe Kahn, who was just named the next executive editor of the New York Times, has the kind of background and temperament that was once a classic type for news organizations choosing newsroom leaders — a half-century ago.

Kahn is a white male born into a wealthy family. He graduated with an Ivy League diploma. He proved his skill as a reporter at a young age, then spent decades organizing his career around the ethos and values of an elite news institution.