Aside from the topmost titles on the editorial masthead, two of the most coveted and important positions on the New York Times are Sunday editor and Washington bureau chief. The Sunday boss presides over the prestigious Book Review, Magazine and News of the
Week in Review, along with specialized sections on travel, the arts and real estate. The bureau chief in Washington supervises 39 reporters, who turn out a huge daily news file averaging 15,000 words that is read with respect in high places all over the world. Last week the Times announced two unusual appointments to those posts: Washington Bureau Chief...