Head of N.Y. Times newsroom discloses malignant tumor surgery

(Reuters) - Newly appointed New York Times Executive Editor Dean Baquet disclosed in a memo to staff on Monday that he had a malignant tumor on his kidney that required "immediate attention" and that it had been removed. Baquet said that doctors found the tumor on Thursday and removed it with "minimally invasive" surgery on Saturday. He did not elaborate about future treatments. "My doctors have given me an excellent prognosis," he wrote in the memo obtained by Reuters. Baquet and a spokeswoman for the New York Times Co were not immediately available to comment. Baquet was named head of the newsroom in May after the abrupt firing of his predecessor, Jill Abramson. "I know this comes as we are all trying to move forward in the newsroom," he wrote. "During my absence, I will be in touch with the newsroom leadership - perhaps more than they like - and we will continue to push ahead with various initiatives." (Reporting by Jennifer Saba in New York; Editing by Dan Grebler)