EVERY PARAGRAPH MUST EARN ITS sentences, every sentence its words. To have worked with TIME editorin- chief Nancy Gibbs is to have heard it a thousand times. But this is no mere maxim of economy. It reflects her values as a journalist, values Nancy practiced over the course of an incredible 32-year career at the magazine, including her promotion as its top editor in 2013. Roughly: Be rigorous, bring your passions to work but leave your agendas behind and, above all, be focused on serving your readers. Or, as she might more elegantly put it: Every word has consequences, every silence too.
On Sept. 12, Nancy told us, “It’s time for another chapter,” and said she planned to step down. So this space, normally reserved for TIME’s editor-in-chief, has been…
