Jill Abramson, the first female editor of the New York Times, is a capable journalist, a veteran editorial manager, and a crazy dog person. Guess which characteristic will be most important?

We've tried to subtly and sensitively suggest to Jill that perhaps publishing a book called harrrrhggggggggh—excuse me, I vomited—called "The Puppy Diaries" mere months into her tenure as the world's most powerful newspaper editor could, you know, "set the wrong tone." Meaning it could set the tone "I am one of those dog people."

Well. It's worse than we thought. Not only has Jill rudely neglected to send us a thank-you note; she's planning to turn the New York Times newsroom into a laboratory to test her maniacal canine management tips from hell. From Ken Auletta's New Yorker profile of Abramson, out today:

She planned to apply in the newsroom some of the "positive training" that she lavished on Scout. She and her husband, she writes in her book, used "encouragement, not punishment" to train Scout, rewarding her for good behavior with a piece of kibble. "In one's relationship with dogs and with a newsroom, a generous amount of praise and encouragement goes much better than criticism," she says.

Haha, that will surely go over well in a newsroom full of ultra-competitive Ivy League-educated people who all believe they are the Smartest Person in the Room. Smartest dog in the room, maybe.

Fetch, newsroom!

[New Yorker]