When you think of newspapers in America, does any other pop in your head first? The New York Times is the paper of the US, and maybe the paper of the world. I can’t think if a paper with a better combination of readership, history, reach, critical attention and power. Naturally, they have great resources. The greatest in the business in fact. Their website is sprawling, with tons of space and coverage devoted to all sorts of things. One of their blogs, the Opinionator, is quite interesting.
The Opinionator is as the name suggest, and opinion blog. Nothing here is presented as fact by the paper, although I’d argue the sentiment backing the pieces is often reflective of the newsroom’s feelings. The Opininator is not kept by just one writer, but is instead a conglomeration of thoughts by a number of NY Times contributors. This cycling of authorship keeps the column fresh, and gives people an opportunity to enjoy different styles and areas of interest.
A particularly interesting column that’s featured regularly is The Conversation. This is a back and forth, running dialog between David Brooks and Gail Collins, two important members of the paper’s opinion section. They exchange witty thoughts on current events, most recently making light of Obama’s complete lack of an arm.
Blogs feature a lot of opinion, and that has been one of the difficulties in trying to pinpoint how they should be viewed and employed as information sources. Here, in the Opinionator, is a blog of opinion pieces from the leader of the newspaper industry. This is a perfect example of the two competing mediums reaching a harmonious compromise.
