James Bennet is the editorial page editor of _The New York Times_. He oversees the editorial board and the Letters and Op-Ed sections. In this fellows lecture at Harvard's Shorenstein Center, Bennet discusses the role opinion pages in daily news, and what happens when an op-ed like the anonymous letter from a former member of the Trump administration becomes the news.
James Bennet, the editorial page editor of The New York Times, is in charge of the Opinion department. He oversees the editorial board and the Letters and Op-Ed sections. Mr. Bennet became editorial page editor in May 2016. Before this role, Mr. Bennet was the president and editor in chief of The Atlantic. Under Mr. Bennet, who was named editor in 2006, The Atlantic substantially increased its editorial reach and impact while returning to profitability for the first time in recent history. Adweek named Mr. Bennet editor of the year in 2012 and Ad Age did the same in 2009. The Atlantic was honored with the National Magazine Award four times during his tenure, including Magazine of the Year and best website, for TheAtlantic.com. Before joining The Atlantic, Mr. Bennet worked for The Times for 15 years in several roles, including Detroit bureau chief, White House correspondent and Jerusalem bureau chief. He also served as a staff writer for The Sunday Magazine. Before joining the Times, Mr. Bennet was an editor with The Washington Monthly. He and his wife have two sons. Image: [The New York Times Company](https://www.nytco.com/person/james-bennet/ "The New York Times Company")