Pamela Paul

Pamela Paul (born 1971 or 1972) is an American journalist, correspondent, editor, and author. She is writer at large for The Wall Street Journal.https://www.leighbureau.com/speakers/ppaulhttps://www.pamelapaul.comhttps://x.com/BenMullin/status/1919882901446873110 Previously, Paul had been an opinion columnist for ''The New York Times'' from 2022-2025, and from 2013-2022, Paul had been editor of ''The New York Times Book Review'', including overseeing all ''New York Times'' book coverage including the staff critics and publishing news. At the Times, Paul received attention amidst controversy regarding her opinion and other writings on transgender issues, in particular with regard to medical treatment.

Early life and education

Paul is the daughter of Carole and Jerome D. Paul, and is of Jewish descent. Paul's father was a construction contractor and her mother was an advertising copywriter and, later, the editor of ''Retail Ad World''.

Paul graduated from Brown University in 1993 with an A.B.

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.I do, for now, Fiametta Rocco, The Economist, January 3, 2002
/ref> The magazine also characterized her as "closely connected with The Economist."

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'',Announcement from Sam Tanenhaus and David Kelly, February 2, 2012.

In 2013 Paul was promoted to the editorship of the ''Book Review''. Under her direction, the New York Times Book review moved rapidly to gender parity; in 2012, the year before Paul took the job, the Book Review covered 488 books by male authors and 237 by women. In 2014, female representation in the Book Review reached 47%. As Paul described it to C-SPAN, as reviewed by the Washington Post, "We try to bear in mind that the books that are of interest to our readers are multifaceted... There are so many distinctions that you could choose. Some people think of it very much just in terms of gender. We try to keep an eye on gender but that's just one of the factors. I would say that ethnicity and country of origin are something we pay a lot of attention to."

In 2016, her job expanded to oversee all books coverage for The New York Times—the Book Review, daily print reviews, and publishing news, both in print and online.

During her time as editor, she also hosted the Book Review's weekly podcast. Under her direction, it was described as one of the best books podcasts in the world.

She is the author of eight books. Her first book was ''The Starter Marriage and the Future of Matrimony'', which was featured on ''The Oprah Winfrey Show'', ''The Today Show'', ''Politically Incorrect'' and ''Good Morning America''. After the 2005 publication of her book '' Pornified'', she testified about pornography to the Senate Judiciary Committee. She has also appeared on numerous podcasts, radio shows, and other television shows.

In March 2022, she moved from the Books section to the Opinion section at the ''New York Times''. Her columns appear in the ''Times'' weekly, have covered many topics, and attract significant comment from ''Times'' readers, journalists in other publications, political groups such as FAIR, and academics. This includes remarks that her critics have deemed to be hostile to transgender people. She has been praised for her writing about the importance of reading.

In 2025, Paul left the ''Times'' in a round of job cuts at the Opinion section.

Transgender coverage criticism

Since 2022, Paul has written multiple columns on transgender topics in the ''New York Times''. These articles have been described as transphobic by some journalists and transgender activists. On February 2, 2024, she published a 5,000-word piece entitled "Gender Dysphoric Kids Deserve Better Care", which discussed the stories of people who had received gender-affirming care in their youth and later detransitioned.

Four days after publication of Paul's February 2 opinion, in an article entitled "The NYT’s Latest Op-Ed on Trans Kids Has Already Been Cited in an Anti-Trans Legal Brief", James Factora reported that Paul's article appeared as a source in a legal document authored by the Alliance Defending Freedom, challenging an injunction against an Idaho law making it a felony to provide gender-affirming care to children. Human Rights Campaign had previously stated in a press release that Paul had written "irresponsible, biased news and opinion pieces about the transgender community".

''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.

Personal life

Her first marriage, to ''Times'' columnist Bret Stephens, ended in divorce. In 2004, she married financial analyst Michael Stern.

Paul is non-religious, and has described herself as a "nonbeliever" and a "rationalist".

Published works

Books

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Selected articles

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References

External links

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{{DEFAULTSORT:Paul, Pamela
1970s births
20th-century American women journalists
20th-century American journalists
20th-century American non-fiction writers
20th-century American women writers
21st-century American women journalists
21st-century American journalists
21st-century American non-fiction writers
21st-century American women writers
American columnists
American expatriates in England
American people of Jewish descent
American book podcasters
American women columnists
American women non-fiction writers
American women podcasters
Living people
People from Long Island
Place of birth missing (living people)
The Economist people
The New York Times editors
The New York Times journalists
Time (magazine) people
Year of birth missing (living people)