Sally Jacobsen (June 12, 1946 – May 11, 2017) was an American journalist, foreign correspondent and editor whose career spanned 39-years at the Associated Press. In 1999, Jacobsen became the first woman to serve as the international editor for the AP, where she oversaw the news agency's overseas news bureaus.[1] During her tenure as international editor, Jacobson supervised the AP's foreign coverage on the United States invasion of Afghanistan in 2001 and the 2003 war in Iraq.[1] She was later promoted to AP deputy managing editor for operations and projects, where she edited the AP Stylebook.[1] [2]
Jacobsen grew up in Gunnison, Colorado.[1] She received her bachelor's degree from Iowa State University and a master's degree in economics from Cornell University.[1]
Jacobsen retired from the Associated Press in 2015 and resided in Croton-on-Hudson, New York.[1] She died from cancer at Phelps Memorial Hospital in Sleepy Hollow, New York, on May 11, 2017, at the age of 70.[1] Jacobsen was survived by her husband, Patrick Oster, a novelist and retired managing editor for Bloomberg News; their son, Alex; and two Airedale terriers, Tazz and Gemma.[1]