'Vanity Fair' Taps Radhika Jones As EIC

Vanity Fair has found its next top editor. Radhika Jones, the editorial director of The New York Times books department, will succeed Graydon Carter as the new editor-in-chief of the Condé Nast publication.

She will now be the first female editor of Vanity Fair since Tina Brown, who served as the magazine’s editor-in-chief from 1984 until 1992.

Jones confirmed the news, which the NYT broke over the weekend on Twitter.

“I'm honored and excited to succeed Graydon Carter as editor in chief of @VanityFair,” she tweeted. “I'll miss my @nytimes colleagues tremendously. It's been a privilege to be part of [executive editor] Dean Baquet's newsroom.”

Before joining the NYT a year ago to help run its books coverage, Jones was deputy managing editor at Time magazine and oversaw the "Time 100" issue, as well as other special projects, such as the magazine’s annual "Person Of The Year."

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Prior to joining Time in 2008, she was the managing editor of The Paris Review.

Bob Sauerberg, president and CEO of Condé Nast, stated that Jones’ experience covering news and entertainment “has given her a thorough understanding of the importance of chronicling and celebrating the moments that matter. With her expansive worldview, I know she will guide Vanity Fair’s history of provocative and enduring storytelling well into its future.”

While Carter had a lot of star power (he held many roles as a party host, restaurateur and film producer), Jones travels below the radar. While highly respected and well known in New York media circles, she is not part of Hollywood, an important world for a pop-culture magazine like Vanity Fair.

Speculation as to who would lead Vanity Fair next was a hot topic as soon as Carter announced in September he would step down from the publication after 25 years.

Jones was not an early mention. Instead, many pointed to Janice Min, who led Us Weekly and helped give new life to The Hollywood Reporter.

Jones takes over as Condé Nast shifts its efforts to digital. The publisher recently shuttered Teen Vogue's print edition and reduced the print frequency of GQ, Glamour, Allure, Architectural Digest, W and Condé Nast Traveler. It has also successfully launched digital brands like its business, tech and politics-focused Hive.

Jones stated:  “There is nothing else out there quite like Vanity Fair. It doesn’t just reflect our culture—it drives our understanding of it. It can mix high and low, wit and gravitas, powerful narrative and irresistible photography. It has a legacy of influential reporting, unmatchable style and, above all, dedication to its readers."

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