Pamela Paul (born 1971 or 1972)[1] is an American journalist, correspondent, editor, and author. Since 2022, she has been a columnist for The New York Times.[2] From 2013 to 2022, she was the editor of The New York Times Book Review,[3] where her role expanded to oversee all New York Times book coverage including the staff critics and publishing news.[4]
Early life and education
Paul is the daughter of Carole and Jerome D. Paul.[1] Her father was a construction contractor and her mother was an advertising copywriter and, later, the editor of Retail Ad World.[1] She graduated from Brown University[5] with an A.B. in 1993. She is of Jewish descent.[6]
Career
Paul was a contributor to Time magazine and has written for many other publications, including Vogue, The Washington Post, The Atlantic, and Worth. She was a senior editor at the erstwhile magazine American Demographics, and was a London- and New York-based correspondent for The Economist, for which she wrote a monthly arts column from 1997 to 2002, and reviewed film, theater and books.
In 2011, Paul joined The New York Times and wrote the Studied column, as well as serving as children's books editor and features editor for the Book Review, before her promotion to the editorship of the Book Review.[7][8][9]
She is the author of eight books. Her first book was The Starter Marriage and the Future of Matrimony.[citation needed] After the 2005 publication of her book Pornified, she testified about pornography to the Senate Judiciary Committee.[10] She has also appeared on numerous podcasts,[11] radio shows,[12] and other television shows.[13]
In 2022, she moved from the Books section to the Opinion section at the New York Times.[14] Her columns appear in the Times weekly, have covered many topics, and attract significant comment from Times readers, journalists in other publications,[15] political groups,[16] and academics.[17][18] This includes remarks that her critics have deemed to be hostile to transgender people.[19][20][21][22] She has been praised for her writing about gender,[23] Diversity, Equity and Inclusion programs,[24] and the importance of reading.[25][26]
Personal life
Her first marriage, to Times columnist Bret Stephens,[27] ended in divorce.[1] In 2004, she married hedge fund financier Michael Stern.[1]
Since 2022, Paul has written multiple columns on transgender topics on the New York Times. These articles have been described as transphobic by some journalists and transgender activists.[20][28] On February 2, 2024, she published a 5,000-word piece titled "Gender Dysphoric Kids Deserve Better Care", which discussed the stories of people who had received gender-affirming care in their youth and later detransitioned.[29] The piece was criticized by some journalists and members of the transgender community.[30][31]
Four days after being published, Paul's article on detransitioners was featured as one of the sources in a legal document authored by the Alliance Defending Freedom challenging an injunction placed against an Idaho law that made it a felony to provide gender-affirming care to children.[30]
Human Rights Campaign stated in a press release that Paul had written "irresponsible, biased news and opinion pieces about the transgender community".[32] The New York Times defended itself and Paul's opinion pieces as fact checked according to Times standards, stating it had aimed to foster debate and open dialogue.[33]
Bibliography
Paul, Pamela (2003). The Starter Marriage and the Future of Matrimony. New York: Random House Trade Paperbacks. ISBN9780812966763.
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