I am thrilled and delighted to have received this award, and want to extend my thanks to the Board of Directors of New York Women In Communications, and my congratulations to the other honorees.  When I was appointed foreign editor in January 2004, I noticed that neither the announcement nor any of the subsequent publicity noted that I was the first woman to serve as foreign editor for the Times --- it showed both that this was no token appointment and that we had moved past the era when we needed to take note of that particular first. But it's not irrelevant, either. I try to combine a relentless drive for excellence with establishing a culture of respect and collegiality among desk editors here in New York and concern about the wellbeing of our correspondents in the field. And I try hard to mentor other women at the Times, to encourage them to aim high in their own careers and to show that it is possible to combine having children with a demanding career, even if that career can ebb and flow at different times.    

I love leading the foreign desk -- foreign correspondence and foreign coverage has been a long-time passion of mine, from the days when I studied Japanese and Asian history, lived with a Japanese family and eventually became a foreign correspondent in Japan. I had a long history with the Times foreign desk, having also been the deputy foreign editor, so I was a known quantity both to the foreign correspondents and to the editors I reported to. But still I felt trepidation taking on this task when the United States was embaked on two long, dangerous wars.

It's been a thrilling and consuming time. Every day is an adventure here, and despite the considerable strains of a job that means being on call 24 hours a day seven days a week, the rewards of working with a tremendously gifted, hard-charging group of reporters and editors are immeasurable. At the Times, we have correspondents who have risked their lives to deliver coverage of great ambition, depth and humanity. There are correspondents in countries around the world that focus on a whole range of themes, from China's breakneck growth, environmental fallout and uneasy engagement with the world to Zimbabwe's agony to a religious revival sweeping young Muslims to the plight of women and children in Africa. There isn't a region that doesn't produce compelling or evocative tales -- and I feel privileged every day to have a role in bringing them to light.
 

Read more about the 2010 Matrix Awards