Arthur C. Clarke said that "any significantly advanced technology is indistinguishable from magic." This is arguably true not only for mechanized technology, but for intellectual technology as well. The process of putting out a great daily Newspaper is such a process. Especially today, given the torrent of information, of news and of individual bits and bites that are coming at us every minute of every day. The ability to aggregate it, fact check it, put it in narrative form and make sure it arrives on your doorstep each morning, is truly a feat of magic.
There maybe more efficient ways to do this today, perhaps without the trucks and the dead trees. Still, the process of creating great narrative journalism, in high quality Newspapers, is unquestionably unique. This process is at the heart of a new documentary and its’ companion volume taking us inside the New York Times. Amidst a landscape of technological revolution, information overload, shrinking ad revenues, political polarization and institutional distrust, the Times and by extension, all great journalism, struggles to survive.
David Folkenflik, the media correspondent for NPR, is the Editor of the companion volume for Page One: Inside The New York Times and the Future of Journalism.
My conversation with David Folkenflik:
