NYT newsroom integration memo

By integrating the newsrooms we plan to diminish and eventually eliminate the difference between newspaper journalists and Web journalists — to reorganize our structures and our minds to make Web journalism, in forms that are both familiar and yet-to-be-invented, as natural to us as writing and editing, and to do all of this without losing the essential qualities that make us The Times. Our readers are moving, and so are we. —Jim RomaneskoNYT newsroom integration memo (Poynteronline)

The New York Times will no longer keep separate staffs for the online paper and the printed edition. Many smaller papers don’t really have the choice, of course, but the move is a recognition that journalism has changed.

This is certainly a fun time to be a journalism teacher.

On the library home page at the school where I used to work, there was one link for “What’s New at the Library?” and another link for “What’s New on the Website?” The separation between the bricks-and-mortar library and the website was a sign of a turf war. While you might catch me sighing sadly at the thought that many students don’t actually walk to the library and look at the books on the shelves, you won’t catch me sighing wistfully for the days before keyword searching of the contents of journal articles.

4 thoughts on “NYT newsroom integration memo

  1. As a photographer for The Setonian, I agree wholeheartedly that we need to find a way to give our photos more exposure (pun not intended, but cool anyways).

    I took so many neat pictures last semester that were never even really considered for print, simply because their subject matter was not “summarizing” enough. When we only have enough space to print one or two photos with each article, we’re really pressed to stick to photos that most effectively capture the essence of the whole, broad story, so those that focus on more specific pieces of it or go towards experimentation rather than tradition rarely make it into the paper.

  2. One reason why I think it still makes sense for The Setonian to have a separate online staff is becuase if we didn’t have a staff producing stories just for the website, nothing would happen on the website in between print editions. I think the online site still has a lot of room to grow in that area. I can also see the web being useful for updates to stories that appeared in the print edition. For instance, if the print edition contains a profile of a team about to go to the championships, the online story can tell about the results of the championships. We’ve talked about using the website to publish the photos that won’t fit in the paper, but I’d like to see something in the print paper that reads “For more photos from this event, see .” I can also imagine audio clips or Flash animations being part of the online edition. So it’s not just writing style, it’s the whole concept of what is the best way to deliver a message.

  3. I was discussing this topic a little bit with Amanda and we came to the conclusion that, stylistically, there is not a huge discrepency between print newswriting and web newswriting. Both must get to the point quickly and efficiently. Which makes sense because our busy American culture does not give us much time to read a newspaper like a book.

    I know I thumb through a newspaper like I browse a webpage. I find what I want, read through it, then move on. However, the web can give quick access to previous articles, allowing a reader who had not been following a story from the beginning to be able to “catch up” and fit the story in the proper context. I feel this extended access is an advantage for web publishing.

    This is absolutely a major change which affects our culture. I find it very empowering that I can go to a blog and ask my own questions on whatever matter concerns me and get a relatively quick response. Some say this instant gratification is a bad thing. Is it really? I view it more as an opportunity to participate in expanded dialogue.

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