Critic Sam Sifton Rumored for Times National Desk

This week, Jill Abramson started her job as the executive editor of the New York Times and made two significant masthead promotions, tapping the foreign editor to oversee the daily news departments and the national editor to oversee politics and features. The vacated foreign editor position has been filled, and now, well would you look at that, restaurant critic Sam Sifton is a rumored candidate for the national desk.

Abramson and Sifton have yet to comment on the matter, but several sources tell WWD that Sifty is the leading candidate for the job. Though he has no experience as a national reporter or editor, he has held quite a few high level positions at the Times. And as cushy as the restaurant critic gig may be, it's not necessarily a long term position nor is it, one presumes, Sifton's end goal. Reichl made it six years, Grimes four, Bruni four. Sifton just came up on his two year anniversary.

Of course it's all speculation (there are plenty of talented candidates), but it wouldn't hurt the Strands and Suttons of the world to polish up those resumes.
· New Lineup Shaping Up at the New York Times [WWD]
· All Coverage of Sam Sifton [NYT]