The New York Times, or NYT/ the Times, has been a trusted source in journalism since its establishment in 1851, over 168 years ago. Unlike many other publications, the NYT has endured over two-thirds of American history. As the publication spanned such a massive range of history, it has adapted to suit the needs of the American public. During the American Civil War, the Times had begun to circulate a Sunday paper to keep civilians informed of war progress and tribulations. During the Gilded Age of New York politics, the paper exposed the infamous mob boss, Boss Tweed, and his prized Tammany Hall. This Gilded Age of politics, led to a press creating hysteria, known as yellow journalism, prompting the NYT to adopt the slogan, “All The News That’s Fit To Print”, on every publication since the late 1890s.
Historically, the Times has supported various political parties but has remained true to more left-leaning politics. Although the publication had supported the Republican Party of Lincoln, it is critical to note that the modern-day Republican Party is not the party of President Lincoln. The Times supported the election of Democrat Grover Cleveland, in the 1880s. In modern-day politics, the Times has endorsed Democratic Presidential candidates since President Kennedy; with the last Republican candidate endorsed by the Times being Dwight Eisenhower. It is fairly obvious that the NYT supports Democratic and Liberal politics, however, the abide by a specific code of ethics.
Originated in 1999, and modified in 2008, the Ethical Journalism promise of the Times is quite prodigious. As far as fact-checking, “Concrete facts — distances, addresses, phone numbers, people’s titles — must be verified by the writer with standard references like telephone books, city or legislative directories, and official websites” ( New York Times 1). Furthermore, questionable practices such as masquerading are not tolerated and only “a sustained, systematic deception, even a passive one — taking a job, for example, to observe a business from the inside — may be employed only after consultation between a department head and masthead editors” (New York Times 1). Additionally, “The Times recognizes an ethical responsibility to correct all its factual errors, large and small” ( New York Times 1). These standards give the impression to readers that the Times is dedicated to maintaining its integrity and thus, holds itself to the highest possible standards of publishing.
A paper for all interests, the Times covers technology, business, health, the arts, style, food, books, real estate, and countless other spheres of influence. In the 1940s, the treasured crossword puzzle was introduced. By the 1980s the home and lifestyle-related content were made readily available to the readers of the Times. The Op-Ed section of the Times provides raw, emotional, and unfiltered opinion pieces regarding topics that are as politically controversial as one physician’s day as an abortion care provider, who does not perceive their career as a political charged weapon but rather as just another medical doctor, (Harris 1) to the social experiment of one author’s self-described tech Shabbat to focus on more important matters, such as deliberate family time (Leonhardt 1). However, the Times is primarily concerned with current events. Predominately, the Times covers political affairs – related directly to NY, the United States, and foreign affairs – however, the NYT does feature a thorough reporting in various domains. Amongst my favorites, are the Tiny Love Stories, which are always less than one hundred words, and always ready to break your own heart. A more recent issue tells of a reader who has a father with Alzheimer’s disease; over the years, she has made “memory flashcards” for her father to remember some critical events in his life. But one day, upon opening one of his drawers, she found several index cards – all with her name on them ( Tiny Love Stories 1).
Aside from the variety within the publication’s written articles, there are other forms of consuming media from the New York Times. As a follower of the Times, I am subscribed to and read their Daily Briefing morning electronic newsletters, their Evening Briefing electronic newsletter, and the new Impeachment Briefing electronic newsletter. These briefings allow readers to have easy access to all current events that have happened either overnight or over the course of the day. The Daily and Evening briefing covers both international and domestic news; this ensures that readers are aware and informed of all current events that may influence policy, and as a result, their own lives. Smaller sections of these electronic newspapers include a daily recipe, that is usually savory and simple, like Challah Toast, for readers to try, and interesting articles – such as the increasing rate of childhood allowance, which was found to be approaching early thirty dollars a week (Carrns 1). The newly established Impeachment Briefing is released hot off the electronic presses around eight o’clock in the evening, and gives a synopsis of any and all news surrounding the possible impeachment inquiry of President Donald Trump. All reported news that is reported is usually analyzed for readers, and put into a more concise context. Furthermore, there are usually links to other impeachment related articles. Less traditional forms of educating oneself about current events and politics include The Daily, the podcast for your workday that runs roughly twenty minutes long, five days a week. This podcast is accessible on the Apple Podcast App, and is free for all listeners; as a listener of The Daily, I have found that hearing the news helps me to retain the information faster and the interviews on the podcast are relevant, in addition to being incredibly engaging. It is evident that the Times is remarkably dedicated to making its content highly accessible for its audience so that they are never uninformed.
Prior to the New York Times, I had not established my own media preference. Growing up, CNN, ABC, and FOX cable stations were on in my family’s living room. In comparison to big cable corporations, I prefer to either read the news or listen – rather than watch – but that is my own preference. The difference between the NYT and other online media outlets is conspicuous; the Times is eloquent, refined, and dedicated to maintaining its status as being one of the most reputable media outlets in the world. Each day, the NYT produces numerous newsletters, podcasts, online and in-print articles without fail. These online subscriptions benefit the New York Times and allow for massive profit that goes to ensuring quality journalism. Even more impressive, the Times has a commitment to ethical journalism and ensures that for every informational error, grammatical misstep, or misspelling, they make an effort to ensure that it is corrected and noted. The NYT does not have to sacrifice quality for quantity. Furthermore, the commitment to delivering journalism and the truth, whether it means breaking policy regarding vulgarities.
The New York Times is dedicated to delivering the truth in journalism to its consumers in an attainable, feasible manner. The Times’ target audience is largely affluent, educated, but with equal gender representation. Readers of the Times score higher than more than half of other media outlet’s audiences on being more politically and socially aware, proving their dedication to their news source, as well as its quality. The audience of the New York Times is diligent in maintaining an understanding in current affairs and trusts that the Times will continue to bring them New York’s finest news to their inboxes, doorstep, and ears.
Works Cited
Burch, Audra D.S. “’Centrism Is Canceled’: High Schoolers Debate the Impeachment Inquiry.” The New York Times, The New York Times, 23 Oct. 2019, www.nytimes.com/2019/10/23/us/students-impeach-trump-debate.html?action=click&module=Top%2BStories&pgtype=Homepage.
Carrns, Ann. “Average Weekly Allowance? It’s $30, a New Survey Finds.” The New York Times, The New York Times, 4 Oct. 2019, www.nytimes.com/2019/10/04/your-money/weekly-allowance-average.html?te=1&nl=morning-briefing&emc=edit_NN_p_20191007§ion=whatElse%3Fcampaign_id&instance_id=12892&segment_id=17651&user_id=660ba85e72a1c1bd7ab5780b473183f5®i_id=76321207ion.
“Ethical Journalism.” The New York Times, The New York Times, 5 Jan. 2018, www.nytimes.com/editorial-standards/guidelines-on-integrity.html.
Harris, Lisa H. “My Day as an Abortion Care Provider.” The New York Times, The New York Times, 22 Oct. 2019, www.nytimes.com/2019/10/22/opinion/abortion-clinic-doctor.html.
Leonhardt, David. “24 Hours Without My Phone.” The New York Times, The New York Times, 22 Oct. 2019, www.nytimes.com/2019/10/22/opinion/technology-shut-off.html?searchResultPosition=1.
Tiny Love Stories. “Tiny Love Stories: ‘She Is Not a Mistake’.” The New York Times, The New York Times, 1 Oct. 2019, www.nytimes.com/2019/10/01/style/tiny-modern-love-stories-not-a-mistake.html?searchResultPosition=3.
I love how in depth you went, you covered a lot of differing aspects of the times and gave a very good look into their reporting. I specifically liked how you went into their podcasting side, as that was a component of their product I was unaware existed, and found it interesting. It does seem the Times has stuck with it’s history.
On another note great use of in text links. Much appreciated.
Thank you! I appreciate your input and the podcasts are very helpful and obviously, I recommend!
I especially like the reference to the Ethical Journalism Promise, and I think its a good introduction to the main talking points of your analysis.
Good work.
Thank you, I was happy to read about the ethical journalism promise, as well!