NY Times OP ED vs. Star Tribune OP ED
I chose to examine the online Op-Ed sections of the NY Times and the Star Tribune. By doing this, I hoped to gain greater perspective on the role of each paper and the types of readers each attracted. Looking at the subjects that the Op-Ed section covers in each paper reflects what the readers are interested in and how they view subjects covered within that particular paper. These sections illustrate not only what type of readers read each paper, but also what each paper covers and with what bias. Each paper also employs regular Op-Ed journalists, so by looking at the credentials and prestige of each journalist may also reflect upon each paper’s role in society.
Chronicle:
www.nytimes.com
home page, linked to opinion page.
Opinion page contained links: editorials, columnists, contributors, letters, NY/region opinion, readers’ opinions, the Public Editor, Editorials from abroad
Topics covered: editorials: voting system and political representation, breast cancer, prison arts, religion and politics. letters: local schools, religion and foreign policy, Iraq. Editorial series: “An Insecure Nation,� “Fixing Albany.� Columnists; most have entire web pages dedicated to them and their media, as well as links to their biographies, columnists have written for numerous papers, worked as correspondents, earned many awards, and often have several books published.
www.startribune.com
home page linked to opinion page.
Opinion page links: Commentary, Letters, Sack, Editorials, Blogs, Columnists, Talk
Topics covered: Editorials: Minneapolis public schools, MN health insurance, appliance energy efficiency. Letters: remembering street names, eulogy. Editorial series: “With Water in Mind.� Columnists: local; six, none with explicit credits, national; Steven Thomma, the chief political correspondent for the McClatchy Washington Bureua, worked for Pioneer Press, earned two rewards, including best regional reporting.
Context:
NY Times:
The Times has been around for over 150 years. It circulates throughout the entire country, and is considered one of the most prestigious news papers in the U.S. www.ntco.com is a site containing all the background information for the NY Times. It offers guidelines for ethical reporting and integrity, as well as its policy on news source confidentiality. The Times belongs to a company called the New York Times Company. Shares may be held by anybody. The Editorial section of the NY Times works separately from the news section, and report directly to the paper’s editors. Columnists for the Times meet with each other prior to writing their pieces to discuss current issues. The Times was the first paper ever to offer and ‘opinion’ page dedicated entirely to reader feedback.
Star Tribune:
The Star Tribune is currently owned by the McClatchky Foundation, also a corporate company allowing public shareholding. The Mcclatchky Foundation is based in Sacramento, C.A. but claims to follow a strict ethic of allowing local autonomy in reporting and columns. The Star Tribune Company also claims to follow ethical reporting standards. The site does not mention the role of the Op-Ed section within the entirety of the paper.
Analysis and Discussion:
Comparing the Op-Ed sections of the NY Times and the Star Tribune made differences in each paper’s intent and readership very obvious. Perhaps the most obvious was the role of the Editorial writers for each paper. The NY Times employs very experienced and prestigious writers for its editorials. They meet as a group once a week to discuss current events and how and what they will write about them. This compares to the Star Tribune, where the Columnists remain fairly independent from each other and write on a range of topics from current events to local or social affairs. Some of these columnists have background journaling experience, but others are simply well spoken individuals with opinions. The subjects covered by both the columnists and the readers in the opinion sections also illustrate a large difference in the content and intent of each paper. The NY Times covers many issues from local school policy to global implications of religious interactions. This range of topics not only comes from the columnists but also the readers. The extensive coverage of global issues and politics suggests that the readership and content of the NY Times has more of a focus on global interactions. The inclusion of International Editorials in the Op-Ed section further illustrates this point.
The Star Tribune, on the other hand, has a much more local focus to its reporting and readership. The Columnists are Minnesota locals, and many of the subjects covered relate to Minnesota events and policies.