By: Jay DeFoore New York Times executive editor Bill Keller put to rest one of the best-kept secrets in the industry today by naming longtime Fortune photo editor Michele McNally as the paper's director of photography. McNally, who has been a picture editor at Fortune since 1986, will join the daily deadline pressures of America's leading paper in June.
In an e-mail to staffers, Keller said, "Our long search for someone who can lead our photojournalism to its rightful place is over."
McNally's title as director of photography is an upgrade in authority--photo chiefs at the Times have previously held the title of picture editor. One source familiar with management thinking says the title change shows that Keller and the other top editors have full confidence in McNally, and that alone should help her break down communication barriers between departments.
"Michele has a breaking-news metabolism, a sharp and daring eye for the memorable image, and the know-how and relentless energy to make things happen," Keller wrote. "We're confident she will provide both the strong creative leadership we need to sustain the ambitious photography to which our readers have become accustomed in recent years, and the strong management skills to run a large and complicated department."
Photographers describe McNally as a strong editor and an impassioned defender of photojournalism. In addition to her work for the magazine, she regularly judges industry competitions and has worked as a mentor to young photographers at the World Press Photo's prestigious Masterclass in Amsterdam.
Fortune managing editor Rik Kirkland says McNally has a strong news sense and an ability to find creative ways to illustrate analytical stories not driven by breaking news. Even though her management responsibilities will go from leading a team of eight or nine on a biweekly to roughly 90 staffers on daily deadlines, Kirkland predicts McNally will have little trouble making the adjustment.
"She's really strong in her opinions and never afraid to say what's on her mind, but at the same time she knows how to work collaboratively as a team," he says.
The photo department at the Times has been without a director since Jim Wilson took a leave of absence last October and officially stepped down in January. He stayed on as a photographer, and his well-liked deputy, David Frank, has been acting director since then. Keller's e-mail indicates that one of McNally's first decisions was to keep Frank on as deputy to help run the department.
McNally will certainly have her work cut out for her. The paper raised the ire of freelance photographers earlier this year when it released what some have called a "predatory" contract. More than 250 freelancers signed a letter protesting the terms, and many have not received assignments since an April 1 deadline.
Overall, staff photographers expressed relief that a decision had finally been made. Since the resignation of executive editor Howell Raines last year, photographers say the department has been without a high-placed ally in senior Times management. Many hope McNally can be a strong presence within the paper as a whole, and as one staffer put it, articulate to top editors "why a good picture is a good picture."
Keller added, "We expect her not just to run a department, but to be a champion within the paper for adventuresome visual journalism."
As for the position vacated at Fortune, Kirkland says he will be looking at internal candidates as well as candidates inside and outside Time Inc.
"It's an important job and we're going to take our time and make sure we choose the right candidate," he said.
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