New York Times appoints editor at large

News in brief

The New York Times has named Matt Purdy as editor at large, a new leadership position shaping the paper’s “most ambitious enterprise” and competitive investigative reporting.

In a letter to newsroom colleagues, Joe Kahn, the executive editor, said Purdy would focus on larger projects instead of direct management of big desks, and in the next few months would put in place a team and structure to ensure “the right oversight” over every aspect of The New York Times’ “enterprise machine” and support for newsroom leadership.

Purdy first joined The New York Times in 1993 from the Philadelphia Inquirer, and spent many years as a Metro reporter, editor and columnist, and led the investigations desk for nine years before joining the masthead in 2013.