US: Questions on the NYT Continuous News Desk

David Stout, of The New York Times, is currently answering questions in the paper's regular Talk to the Newsroom feature. Stout, a domestic correspondent for the Continuous News Desk explains some of the challenges facing the desk in the 24 hour news cycle - "We are constantly trying to balance speed and accuracy" - and what the Continuous News Desk, one found in just a handful of newsrooms across the country, actually does.

"Part of my job is to synthesize the reporting of my colleagues. In return for their help, I try to repay them by keeping them apprised of news developments (I keep a constant eye on wire service reports) and, occasionally, going to news conferences," explains Stout.

He adds, "My job, generally, is to write a quicker, and therefore less detailed, version of an article about a court decision than will appear in the following day's newspaper. I think there is a need for both kinds of articles in this day of 24-hour news.|

In early 2007, the Editors Weblog interviewed Neil Chase, then editor of the Continuous News Desk.

Source: The New York Times