Results matching “the new york times”

There was a decline in the average time spent per person on newspaper websites in October compared to last year, according to a Nielson Online report.

While monthly uniques increased, the data followed a similar September trend of a decrease in time spent on some sites.

The New York Times, the leader in time spent on newspaper's websites, saw an increase from 35 minutes in October 2007 to 40 minutes this year, the report says.  Politico increased its time spent from 9 minutes to 19, while its monthly uniques increased 178%.

Source:  Editor and Publisher

The International Herald Tribune is launching a news reader application in the first half of 2009 according to the New York Times Vice President of R&D, Michael Zimbalist.

The software will be based on the AIR 1.5 which was released on Monday. According to an article on CNET news, "it's pretty clear that the company will release a reader for The New York Times as well." The announcement was made at the Adobe Max Conference in the USA.

There is currently a desktop reader in the marketplace for the NYT. The recently announced IHT platform will take advantage of the newly released AIR application's new technology, such as its fast text-rendering engine that re-flows text as you resize the screen. The new app also uses the video capabilities of Flash 10, which Air 1.5 uses. The demo showed videos in ads, but it could also be used for editorial content.

Source: CNET

Helium is an online company that describes itself as, "the online spot to learn what you need to know and share what you know." It combines citizen journalism with peer rating in order to provide a plethora of articles on just about any topic.

Helium brings together a system of news and information combined with a place to submit articles. It even has a "marketplace" where publishers can post topics for people to write about - sort of like a publishers à la carte classified space.

It is a place for readers to find articles that interest them, writers to write about topics that they know and understand, publishers to find articles and non-profits to voice their issues.

It is a unique system of sharing content, ideas and knowledge. It will be interesting to see what the future holds for Helium, if the current system will hold up and retain its credibility.

The Editors Weblog interviewed Peter Newton, the VP of business development at Helium.com to get a better idea of how the site works and what their goals are for the future. Newton has worked at Monster.com and The Boston Globe where he was the vice president of advertising.

EW: What is your selection process for articles and writers?

PN: Helium represents the first true meritocracy in the publishing industry. Helium welcomes anyone and everyone to join its community of writers.

We don't select writers; they naturally come to the site and write to areas in which they have an interest (in many cases, a passion) in sharing their knowledge or opinion. Once members join, their work is evaluated by other members though our peer-review rating system.  In essence, Helium brings order to the chaos of user generated content. Its patented peer review rating engine elevates the best quality articles.

After a writer submits an article, he/she is presented with two anonymous articles in the same topic area to rate in an "A versus B" comparison. Through the wisdom of the crowds, the best articles rise to the top, resulting in a rank-ordered list for every topic.

The end result is that the best writers are promoted, recognized and rewarded for their work.

New titles are introduced onto the Helium site through members, partners and directly by Helium staff.

EW: Where do you draw the line between journalist and citizen journalist?  What about between citizen journalist and blogger?

PN: Citizen Journalism is a very awkward term. Quality journalism demands its participants to be objective, ethical and methodical. Research, fact checking and skillful interviewing techniques are critical to the art. It's not obvious that what we are starting to call citizen journalism possesses any of these traits. I'm certain that the Columbia School of Journalism doesn't teach that the art of being a world class journalist is to be in the right place at the right time. Citizen Journalism seems to be migrating to each individual's "15 minutes of fame" and further and further away from journalism. It might be fun to watch - but so were the lions and Christians in the Roman Coliseum.

With that said, Helium is not really concerned with categorizing or labeling different types of writers.  We have created a platform for people to express themselves in writing across a wide variety of topics in a civilized and substantive way, and then have the community sort for quality.

Helium is a site for writers that fills a unique role in the publishing industry. In doing so, we are representing a new classification of online writers.

Our community of members includes professional writers, freelancers, subject matter experts, students and the expert next-door.

We are not attempting to replace investigative journalism or time sensitive reporting. Instead, Helium attracts and produces individuals who have the skill and insight on specific topics that they wish to share with others.

EW: Do you feel that the status of being an "expert" or a "professional journalist" is becoming less important?

PN: No, there will always be a need for professional journalists, especially in covering breaking news or conducting investigative journalism, and Helium is definitely not out to undermine established journalists or copywriters.

Instead, we are trying to expand the ranks of paid writers to include part-time talent that otherwise would be sitting fallow.

Our media solutions product offers newspapers a way for them to supplement what remains of their editorial staff, but is in effect driving down their content-creation costs. We are merely tapping into the notion of "social publishing," in which publishers ask their readership to contribute content.

EW: Do you apply any regulations for topics? style? content? etc...

PN: Yes, Helium has established regulations for topics, style, and acceptable content.

Beyond providing clarity to our members, the community is self moderating. Every new article submitted to Helium is rated by other members. The best content rises to the top. Our members often message each other with advice as to how to improve articles and items that don't fit the standards of the site are removed.

EW: Do you see a shift towards more citizen journalism in news reporting? Both online and print?  How will this affect the future of professional freelancers? Is it going to put a dent in the freelance market?

PN: When you say "news reporting", let's be clear that our focus is not breaking news or conducting investigative journalism.  With that said, there is a growing paradigm shift in content creation; publishers are increasingly sourcing content, not writers. As for how this will impact freelancers no one can say for sure but one thing is for sure-there will always be demand for quality writing.

EW: Can a person make a living from putting material on Helium the same way a freelance gains income?

PN: The short answer is no.  But with that said, there are thousands of Helium members who earn from $40-$100 each month, which is much more than chump change. In fact, some of Helium's highest earning members have made more than $3,000. It really depends on how much members use the site.

Earlier this month, Helium announced upfront payments for all new articles being written by starred writers on Helium.com. This change to Helium's Terms of Service is a move to reward the site's highest quality writers and to promote quality content at Helium.com.  In addition, the company's popular Marketplace product - used by publishers looking for top-notch content for their publications - now offers special access to the site's best writers. The move will improve content for Helium's publishing partners and help ensure that the site's best writers will be seen by those publishers.  

Many web 2.0 companies offer opportunity for incremental income. With these changes at Helium, highly-rated writers will have an opportunity to earn larger sums for sharing their expertise with the Helium community.

"Helium has grown by leaps and bounds these last two years; it has earned the respect of people and writers around the world," said Petra Newman, a 3-star writer on Helium.com "With the sky falling on our economy, Helium has again found a "pièce de résistance" for people who already have a passion for writing. Increasing the earnings for well-written articles is a win-win situation for both Helium and writers."

EW: What newspapers or websites do you work with?    

PN: Currently Helium is working with GateHouse Media's State Journal-Register(SJ-R) in Springfield, Ill. SJ-R recently begun using Helium's "Media Solutions" product to source writers for its op ed section-there are currently over 700 additional papers in the active funnel.

We also provide content for a wide a variety of other newspapers, magazines, online-only sites, etc.

EW: What about your competition? Who are they?

PN: As a producer of content and as a publisher of content, we compete with thousands of companies, yet in most ways, we have no competition.

That said, we really don't see anyone that directly competes with us, in terms of delivering a scalable solution to engage a community to produce high quality content.  

EW: Where do you see yourself in relation to news organizations such as the AP or the New York Times?

PN: The New York Times is the New York Times. Helium is not attempting to create a competitor to breaking news.  

EW: Where does a site like Helium envision itself in the future? How do you grow / expand ?

PN: Helium is rapidly building the world's largest community of writers. We plan to grow and expand the business in a number of ways over the next five years:

• Become the partner of choice to the publishing, non profit and broadcast industries for generating quality content at a low cost, while helping engage their audience in the process.

• Become the content source for any entity needing quality content.

• Expand internationally; international business represents 60% additional market opportunity

• Create a community of micro publishers

In San Diego, a website has arisen that monitors and illuminates some of the city's "darkest secrets," acting as a watchdog for the community, and forcing its more traditional competitors, namely, newspapers, to follow up.

The New York Times has shut down its quarterly sports magazine, Play.

The magazine was first published in February 2006 and was part of The Times' strategy to attract luxury goods advertising.

The Times' US editor Gerard Baker is to become deputy editor-in-chief of the Wall Street Journal and Dow Jones, effective January 2009.

Baker will make the move to New York from Washington, where he currently edits the Times' US edition and website, to report to Robert Thomson, editor-in-chief of Dow Jones and managing editor of The Wall Street Journal.

The company is "accelerating" its development as a national paper, Thomson said, and brought Baker in to "spearhead" the project.

Source:  Press Gazette

In an effort to try and find sources of information about Cindy McCain during the US presidential campaign Jodi Kantor, a New York Times reporter used Facebook to contact 16 and 17-year-olds.

According to the message Kantor sent out, she was "just seeking some fellow parents who can talk about what Mrs. McCain is like."  However, immediately after the incident, there was outrage.  Gwilym McGrew of Woodland Hills, California called it "disgusting" and questioned whether Kantor would be "contacting my 12-year-old soon, too?"

China has agreed to loosen restrictions on foreign news and information providers inside the country, where government controls were tightened in 2006.  The agreement settles a trade dispute with the United States, the European Union and Canada.

International news and information agencies such as Bloomberg, Thomson Reuters and Dow Jones & Company will be able to "more freely compete and sell their services inside China" under the agreement, the New York Times reports.

The "spoof" version of Wednesday's New York Times had big headlines, the end of the Iraq war and growth for the economy - not to mention it was free - and it is now making big headlines around the world.

The paper, dated July 4, 2009, was not meant as a humorous hoax, the organization behind the prank said, and instead wanted to push progressive politics and remind politicians to keep their campaign promises.

In the age of the Internet and blogging, news and information is spread faster than ever before.  The problem is sometimes it is hard to know where the information is coming from and whether or not its even true.

Fox News, The Los Angeles Times and MSNBC were among the many who quoted a McCain campaign figure.  The problem is - the man from the McCain camp was fake. 

For over 100 years, The New York Times has set the standard for print publications in the US and all over the world.  In an article on Monday, Scholars and Rogues, a blog offering commentary and analysis on breaking news, said that the legacy could be close to its end, because the Times has "significant debt coming due, and insignificant cash on hand."

Scholars and Rogues comments that the Times did not accept the Internet as an "effective colleague" to distribute news and information, regarding it as "ineffective."  This has now proven "costly," as the numbers indicate.

The New York Observer is reporting that Alissa Rubin has been named the new Baghdad bureau chief of the New York Times.

Rubin has experience working in Iraq, first for the Los Angeles Times, and for the New York Times since 2007.

Seth Mnookin's December 2008 report in Vanity Fair says that Rubin has been "functioning as the bureau chief" since former chief Jim Glanz left earlier in the year following a neck injury.

Source:  Observer

According to reports, on Thursday "mobs" of people were still gathering at newsstands to purchase copies of Wednesday's newspapers.

Some papers are even printing more copies of Wednesday's edition.  The Los Angeles Times printed an additional 100,000 copies of Wednesday's paper on Thursday, according to the paper's president, Jack D. Klunder.

Lisa Belkin, "Motherload blogger and Life's Work columnist" describes in an interview with MediaBistro the process by which The New York Times' deals with its blogs.

Relatively new to the blogging world, Belkin describes the foreign elements of blogging to a journalist--the "immediacy" of what she writes (she can write something at 8 am, and on a good day, have it published by 8:30 am), and the "constant" feedback.

Her aspiration is to make the Motherload, a blog on parenting, a "community" project by reaching out to other, lesser-known bloggers who are going through similar experiences.  The investigation requires spending time on blogs that "maybe no one else has heard of."

The personal nature of the blogging community allows the writers to be "completely honest," by "exploring their lives." 

Source:  MediaBistro

Contrary to what many may believe, attention span for online video is growing longer.  The reason for this, according to The New York Times, is because viewers get to watch videos on their own schedule and pick what kind of content they wish to see.

Internet users are also branching out as far as video content is concerned.  Accor