Allan M. Siegal

Allan Marshall Siegal (May 1, 1940 – September 21, 2022) was an American newspaper editor and journalist who worked at The New York Times for 45 years. In 1987, he was named an assistant managing editor, and in 2003, he became the Times first standards editor, charged with maintaining high standards of accuracy, fairness and ethical conduct.

Early life Siegal was born in the Bronx on May 1, 1940. His father, Irving, immigrated from Poland during his teenage years and managed a seltzer delivery company before becoming a landlord; his mother, Sylvia (Wrubel), was a housewife. Siegal attended Christopher Columbus High School in his home borough's Pelham Parkway neighborhood, where he served as editor of the school newspaper. He was then awarded a scholarship to study journalism at New York University. Siegal was the lead editor of the newspaper's investigation of Jayson Blair. He retired in 2006.

Personal life Siegal married Gretchen Leefmans in 1977. She worked as a freelance manuscript editor at the time, and they remained together until his death. Together, they had two children.

Siegal died on September 21, 2022, at his home in Manhattan. He was 82 and had suffered from heart issues.