Tag Archives: new york observer

Observer.com: NYTimes’ interactive team hires first woman

Journalism.co.uk noticed the absence of women in the New York Times’ interactive technology team during a visit to its offices earlier this year.

But now comes news that it has brought a female programmer on board, Jacqui Maher. ‘This is the 10-person team’s first and (so far) only female hire,’ writes Gillian Reagan for the New York Observer.

“Software and web development is a male-dominated field at The Times and everywhere else, editor Aron Pilhofer told The Observer. “It is a serious issue,” he said.

“Mr. Pilhofer sent out a memo about the new arrival. “Brian [Hamman, assistant editor,] and I were looking for someone who is a top-flight programmer; is a stickler for testing, usability and documentation; can think creatively about ways to extend our technology; can train others and act as a sort of ‘evangelist’ to the newsroom; and, of course, brings creativity and new ideas,” he wrote. “It’s a thick job description, and we never thought we’d find one person who embodies those traits – until we met Jacqui.”

Full post at this link…

Shane Richmond: Why the Drudge Report hasn’t ‘lost its edge’

Shane Richmond responds to last week’s New York Observer article on the allegedly waning influence of the Drudge Report.

Looking at its audience, impact and design, Richmond argues that the news aggregator, which broke the media blackout on Price Harry’s deployment to Afghanistan, still has its edge:

“For his audience, Drudge is a kind of search engine but one that has already answered their question,” he writes.

“It’s a simple idea, executed brilliantly. The Drudge Report is a page of search results, handpicked for an audience its author knows well.”

Full post at this link…

New York Observer: Variety and the shifting Hollywood ‘press corp’

“There is no power structure. It’s all turned inside out and upside down. Everyone claims victory, but no one seems to have it, nobody is powerful enough to measure it. And, above all, it’s one nasty, mean, shrill place,” says John Koblin about Hollywood and the now shared agenda between ‘established’ press and online independents.

Variety is one title facing this challenge – and looking to pay walls, for archive and specialised content, to boost falling revenues from advertising.

Full article at this link…

New York Observer: Newspapers should focus on what they’re good at, reduce staff, says Glocer

Newspapers can cut costs by concentrating on their strongest coverage, Tom Glocer, Thomson Reuters chief executive, told an industry gathering on Monday.

“Why does The New York Times need to have 600-700 journalists? Why not 30 journalists with 30 apprentices?” he said.

Full story at this link…