New York Times appoints social media editor

Posted by Helena Deards on May 27, 2009 at 9:59 AM

The New York Times is taking its use of social networks to whole new levels, and has announced the appointment of a social media editor for the publication. Jennifer Preston will concentrate "full-time on expanding the use of social media networks and publishing platforms to improve New York Times journalism and deliver it to readers."

Apt, then, that the news was revealed via Twitter by deputy managing editor of the NYT, Jonathan Landman - and ironic, therefore, that Preston's Twitter updates on her new account were set to private (although this has now been rectified, and @NYT_JenPreston is now tweeting freely). The NYT has been very much present on social networks such as Twitter and Facebook of late - the memo announcing Preston's appointment puts it in 2nd place on the Twitterholic rankings, although it is currently sitting in 14th.

There has been speculation that the new role has been created in reaction to the recent spate of unauthorised revelations coming from the Twitter feeds of NYT journalists, and that Preston will be clamping down on newsroom Twittering. This has been denied by Landman, who said somewhat ambiguously that it "isn't about policing, although that is a small function [of the social editor's role], but as only as a matter of making things consistent."

Preston could be a somewhat unusual choice for the role, given that her previous experience (including politics editor, City Hall Journalist) seems to have little or no link to her new role - and, given that she has only just jumped on the Twitter bandwagon, that most media-focussed of social networks. Could her appointment indeed be a way of monitoring social media at the NYT? And could a WSJ-style list of social networking rules be on its way?

Source: Gawker