New York Times gets new-look Facebook page with timeline of 160-year history

The New York Times is among several US media outlets to adopt a new-style Facebook page.

The page makes the most of the timeline feature, adding photos and anecdotes from the Grey Lady’s 160-year history, inviting readers in to the newsroom.

Announcing the timeline on its Facebook page, the New York Times says:

We’re pleased to introduce our timeline, which highlights select moments from our 160+ year history. Come into the newsroom on the night of the 1928 presidential election. See our reporters at work during the 1977 blackout. You’ll even find a guest appearance by Marilyn Monroe in the 1950s. We plan to update our http://www.facebook.com/nytimes timeline frequently with key milestones from 1851 through the present. Take a look and let us know what you think.

The new-style pages were announced by Facebook today, already adopted by US TV show Today and People, and were among a number of features released at the Facebook Marketing Conference (fMC) in New York City.

Facebook describes the layout, which “includes a cover photo, larger story sizes, better tools to manage a page and more”, as designed to “help business and organisations better share their story and connect with people”.

Update:  There are a couple of handy posts on how to create a great news-style Facebook page and timeline for your news organisation. Here is some advice from Lost Remote and here are a few tips from Zombie Journalism.

Similar posts:

• So last century: How to add a web page archive to a Facebook timeline
• New York Times launches ‘Times Skimmer’ after beta trial
• Poynter: NY Times introduces unmoderated comments for ‘trusted commenters’
• Facebook launches page for journalists
• The top 10 most-read stories on Journalism.co.uk, 25 February-2 March

#Tip of the day from Journalism.co.uk – experiment with ‘hashtag science’

When Liz Heron, social media editor of the New York Times, told the news:rewired conference for journalists about the seven ways the New York Times is using social media for ‘deeper’ engagement, she mentioned the term “hashtag science”.

The New York Times has been running an iEconomy series, an example where the news organisation has chosen “a series name based on what we thought would make the best hashtag – something that cleverly and clearly identifies the topic at hand, feels universal and inviting, fits neatly into a sentence, and above all, is short.”

Heron explained how “hashtag science” can “help reach new audiences”.

Other news sites could benefit from starting with a suitable, short hashtag when dreaming up a name for a series of features.

If you have a tip you would like to submit to us at Journalism.co.uk email us using this link– we will pay a fiver for the best ones published.

Similar posts:

• Tool of the week for journalists – Pinterest
• #followjourn – @lheron/social media editor
• #jpod: How journalists are embracing Facebook subscribe
• The Times and Sunday Times: What a paywall looks like
• NBC and Outside.in match EveryBlock and NYTimes partnership

New York Times takes two wins at George Polk Awards

The George Polk Awards, run by Long Island University, announced the winners of its 63rd event today.

According to a release the New York Times won two of the 15 categories. The first, for military reporting, was awarded to CJ Chivers, and the second was the foreign reporting prize which went to Jeffrey Gettleman and Tyler Hicks for their “numerous exclusives and heart-wrenching photos of ethnic conflict, pillage, famine and piracy”.

It was also announced that Anthony Shadid, the New York Times foreign correspondent who died from an apparent asthma attack in Syria last week, will receive a posthumous award “for extraordinary valor for his work in the Middle East”.

Other winners include the Wall Street Journal, the Associated Press, the New Yorker and the Boston Globe.

“There was a strong field of contenders this year, especially in investigative work,” said John Darnton, curator of the George Polk Awards. “It was a big year for news with the Arab Spring and the Japanese earthquake and tsunami, and reporters from many news organizations went behind the headlines to search for underlying causes and trends.”

The full list of winners can be found here.

Similar posts:

• CNBC, New York Times and Vanity Fair recognised at US business journalism awards
• Editors Weblog: ‘What will happen to the Boston Globe?’
• New York Times: Behind the anonymous video nominated for a Polk Award
• Boston Globe launches midday video news update
• Finalists of Online Journalism Awards announced

The top 10 most-read stories on Journalism.co.uk, 11-17 February

1. Seven ways the New York Times is using social media for deeper engagement
2. Times web app brings tablet newspaper experience to browser
3. BBC World Service to broadcast morning news conference
4. Thurlbeck: Murdoch would ditch the Sun
5. Sun condemns tabloid witch hunt as more journalists arrested
6. Murdoch: Sun on Sunday will launch ‘very soon’
7. Tommy Sheridan back in court over NoW damages battle
8. BBC World News apologises for programme funding breaches
9. Times digital subscribers continue to rise
10. App of the week: Banjo for finding the location of breaking news

Similar posts:

• Guardian: Andy Coulson denies phone-hacking at Sheridan trial
• App of the week for journalists: Banjo, for finding the location of breaking news
• #jpod: The top news stories from Journalism.co.uk, 10 June 2011
• Papua New Guineans now suing for $45m in Jared Diamond/New Yorker case
• The top 10 most-read stories on Journalism.co.uk, 21-27 April

#Tip of the day from Journalism.co.uk – building user responses into stories

Over on the 10,000 Words blog Lauren Rabaino gives an interesting overview of the different ways the New York Times has used responses from its online users in relation to news into their own stories, often in very visual ways.

The post demonstrates how this sort of material can be used by news outlets to illustrate the attitudes, opinions and emotions of their audience, and how the NYT, as one example, has achieved this.

See the 10,000 Words post here.

Tipster: Rachel McAthy

If you have a tip you would like to submit to us at Journalism.co.uk email us using this link– we will pay a fiver for the best ones published.

Similar posts:

• #Tip of the day from Journalism.co.uk – attribution guidance
• #Tip of the day from Journalism.co.uk – improving your video journalism skills
• #Tip of the day from Journalism.co.uk – tagging advice for newsrooms
• #Tip of the day from Journalism.co.uk – Storify examples
• #Tip of the day from Journalism.co.uk – using QR codes

Tool of the week for journalists – Pinterest

Tool of the week: Pinterest

What is it? A bookmarking and sharing tool

How is it of use to journalists? Pinterest has been growing in popularity recently.

It is a virtual bookmarking system that can be used by newsrooms to curate and share news.

Indeed Liz Heron, social media editor of the New York Times (NYT), suggested at last week’s news:rewired conference that NYT will be joining.

When Heron was asked: “Are there any emerging platforms that NYT are excited about?”

She answered:

Pinterest is one up and coming platform, but we’re still figuring out what the community wants there and how we can deliver something new. You’ll see us there soon.

Journalism.co.uk has since created a Pinterest account and has used it to collate blog posts from news:rewired.

It is invite-only at the moment but we have a handful to share. Email us using this link if you would like one.

Similar posts:

• #Tip of the day from Journalism.co.uk – 10 social media tips for bloggers
• #Tip of the day from Journalism.co.uk – links to lessons on using Pinterest
• Delicious users have until July to transfer to new owners
• #Tip of the day from Journalism.co.uk – how to get more pins on Pinterest
• #Tip of the day from Journalism.co.uk – follow ProPublica’s ‘tools and data’ Pinterest board

#jpod: Lessons from the NY Times and Guardian in managing reader comments

The New York Times last week introduced a new category of “trusted commenter”, which it describes as an “invitation-only programme designed for our most valued commenters”.

In this podcast Journalism.co.uk technology correspondent Sarah Marshall speaks to Sasha Koren, deputy editor of interactive news technologies for social media and community at the New York Times; Meg Pickard, head of digital engagement for Guardian News and Media; and Tamara Littleton, CEO of eModeration, a social media management agency that handles outsourced commenting.

The #jpod looks at how the New York Times pre-moderates the majority of comments and how the Guardian post-moderates most of its comments. The podcast also has tips for community managers in encouraging debate, diffusing heated arguments and rewarding readers.

Podcast: Download

You can also read advice from Tamara Littleton in this guide on how to manage reader comments as a journalist.

You can hear future podcasts by signing up to the Journalism.co.uk iTunes podcast feed.

Similar posts:

• #jpod – How to engage a subscriber community: Lessons from the Times and Financial Times
• #jpod: How journalists are embracing Facebook subscribe
• #Tip of the day from Journalism.co.uk – Seven steps for building an online community
• #jpod: How journalists and publishers can best use Foursquare
• How the Guardian’s community of commentators contributes to the story

Beet.tv: Why readers watch video on the NY Times and WSJ

Beet.tv has an interview with Ann Derry, editorial director for video and television for the New York Times and Shawn Bender, editorial director for video for the Wall Street Journal online. They explain “why readers click the play button” to watch videos on the two news sites.

Bender feels readers click play in order to feel a connection.

I think that there is a feeling of excitement about the news that you don’t get in the static environment of print that you can get in video.

Derry says that both news sites have had to educate their readers in order to consume news in video form online.

We’ve had to train our users, both at the Journal and at the Times, that if you click on something you get a good experience.

Bender goes on to say that concise videos where the reader/viewer can learn two or three points are the most successful. Derry adds that news video should offer the reader/viewer a quicker, more “efficient” way of accessing the story than if they had chosen to read it as text.

The Beet.tv video is at this link and below.

Similar posts:

• Video: NYTimes’ Ann Derry on going multimedia – video is key
• AP pushing 250 stories a week through its newly launched YouTube channel
• NBC provides code to embed news shows
• News sites can remove YouTube logo for embedded video
• Citizen journalist videos through op-ed pages of NYTimes.com

Poynter: NY Times introduces unmoderated comments for ‘trusted commenters’

Poynter has an interesting post highlighting the overhaul of the New York Times’ commenting system.

The news outlet has introduced “trusted commenters“, which the Times describes as an “invitation-only programme designed for our most valued commenters”.

Those who have proved to be trusted by consistently having comments approved will be allowed to leave comments that will be made live immediately without the need for moderation.

Poynter’s Jeff Sonderman explains the overhaul of the NY Times’ commenting system:

The trusted commenter programme is the most significant new feature, in my opinion. Those who join will have to submit and verify real names, a profile photo and hometown by connecting a Facebook account. (Some people object to using Facebook, so other identity verification methods may be supported later, [Sasha Koren, deputy editor of interactive news] said.)

In exchange they get instant commenting, as well as a higher profile on the site. With a special “trusted” logo attached to their color photo and full name, they stand out visually from the other commenters who usually have an anonymous username and no profile photo.

Sonderman’s full post on how New York Times’ overhaul of its comment system and how it grants privileges to trusted readers is at this link.

Similar posts:

• #jpod: Lessons from the NY Times and Guardian in managing reader comments
• Comment Central: New commenting system for Times Online
• WordPress rolls out Twitter and Facebook comments options
• Independent integrates article comments with Twitter and Facebook
• Nieman Journalism Lab: Barriers to entry can improve quality and quantity of reader comments, says Gawker

NYT: Saddam Hussein ordered killing of Observer journalist, records show

Transcripts of recordings published by the New York Times reveal that Saddam Hussein personally ordered the execution of Observer journalist Farzad Bazoft, who was hanged in Iraq in 1990.

The transcript of a conversation between Iraq’s former leader and the country’s then-foreign minister, Tariq Aziz, reads:

Hussein: We will execute him during Ramadan, in Ramadan, as punishment for Margaret Thatcher.

The documents, which were seized by the US military during the 2003 invasion of Iraq, were yesterday released by the Conflict Records Research Center, a US government archive.

The case of Bazoft, an Iranian-born freelance journalist who worked for the Observer, drew worldwide attention at the time, and the British government appealed for clemency.

The Guardian has more on Bazoft and states:

It appears that even if Bazoft had had British citizenship at the time of his arrest, this would not have saved him.

The document archive reveals the conspiratorial mind-set of Hussein, according to the NY Times, and demonstrates that the Iraqi leader believed Bazoft was an “Israeli spy working for the British”.

The New York Times states:

Even in an age of WikiLeaks, such a detailed record of a foreign leader’s private ruminations is rare.

Similar posts:

• Comment: Joe Lieberman, the New York Times and the idea of ‘bad citizenship’
• FT.com: GNM considers Observer’s future in digital age
• British journalist rescued from Taliban but interpreter died; reports suggest British soldier also killed
• Times opens up 200-year digital archive
• #jpod: A guide to using numbers in journalism