It has probably been fun to watch, but not for the people who work here. I heard from several talented young women who are a big part of The New York Times’s future. “I really don’t see a path for me here,” said one. “Are we O.K.?”
Well, that depends on how the next few weeks go and whether The Times can convince female employees that it is a fair place to work, with ample opportunity to advance. But more broadly we’ll probably be O.K. We have a talented executive editor, a stable if challenged business outlook and a very dedicated audience. To the extent that The New York Times does anything remarkable, it emerges from collaboration and shared enterprise. It’s worth remembering that its legacy begets an excellence that surpasses the particulars of who produces it.
What should you put when a survey asks for your race?
To honor the untimely demise of Wolverine, the most iconic X-Men ever, Marvel is proud to present the all new, exclusively crafted, WEAPON ETCHED HOLO FOIL covers for the DEATH OF WOLVERINE #1-#4. Gorgeously rendered by blockbuster artist Steve McNiven – each WEAPON ETCHED HOLO FOIL wrapped issue of DEATH OF WOLVERINE will be a sight to behold!
“With a huge event like DEATH OF WOLVERINE, we wanted to give retailers and fans a cover that stands out on shelves and really helps to grab your attention,” says Marvel’s SVP of Sales & Marketing David Gabriel. “Something that says this is an event to behold. Whenever you do any kind of special cover treatment, you want to make sure the story can back it up. Charles & Steve have an epic story planned, and we’re confident that when you crack open DEATH OF WOLVERINE #1, you’ll agree!”
It really is the 1990s all over again, isn’t it?
(From Marvel PR.)
Weilland himself said in an email to me that the actual logistical changes in setting up the new boards weren’t that sweeping. He’s increased his own involvement and made some changes in moderating personnel, all of which has entailed some expense. But he said, “The biggest thing I discovered the community needed is a very clear, definitive voice of what’s expected.” He added, “ None of this is necessarily difficult – it’s not like we’re laying down asphalt on a hot day – but it takes time and thoughtfulness. And I believe the costs will be worth it in the long run – based on the response thus far, there’s been more enthusiasm for this change than I ever imagined ….If our community can become a safe, inclusive and respectful place, that’s good for CBR and it’s good for comics.”
Interested to see how (if at all) IGN, Bleeding Cool and Millarworld respond to being singled out as unpleasant message boards. (Also, reading this, I felt nostalgic for Fanboy Rampage!!! a bit – I still remember the response to my upset at the FMK thread on the Bendis Boards.)
The legal challenge, brought by the Guardian, Associated Press and the three largest Missouri newspapers, calls on state judges to intervene to put a stop to the creeping secrecy that has taken hold in the state in common with many other death penalty jurisdictions. The lawsuit argues that under the first amendment of the US constitution the public has a right of access to know “the type, quality and source of drugs used by a state to execute an individual in the name of the people”.
It is believed to be the first time that the first amendment right of access has been used to challenge secrecy in the application of the death penalty.
(Related: this segment from Last Week Tonight was, I think, really great.)
I think it’s important for you to interrogate the difference between “feelings to which you’re entitled” and “feelings you feel obligated to express,” and to examine where and when your disappointment becomes an itch that must be scratched publicly. Any time you put an opinion into the world, it never hurts to weigh the degree to which you’re willing to fight to defend it; to weigh the extent to which doing so is worth it. If you truly fear a fight, you’re under no obligation to start one, you know? When asked point-blank for an opinion, you can say, “Eh, this new stuff isn’t clicking with me quite yet” and leave at that.
But its overwhelming tone is one of alarm.
“While we receive accolades for our digital efforts like ‘Snowfall,’ we nevertheless are at risk of becoming known as a place that does not fully understand, reward, and celebrate digital skills,” the report warns.
As a result, the report says, the paper has been losing talented staffers and been unable to recruit others. Upworthy’s former head of promotion, Michael Wertheim, turned down a job at Times, the report says.
“For anyone in that role to succeed, the newsroom had to be fully committed to working with the business side,” Wertheim told the report’s authors.
It also includes an unusually frank exchange with a competitor, an executive at Huffington Post who is described as contrasting that site’s facility with search engine optimization with the Times’ failures in that area.
“An executive there described watching the aggregation outperform our original content after Nelson Mandela’s death,” the report says. “‘You guys got crushed,’ he said. ‘I was queasy watching the numbers. I’m not proud of this. But this is your competition. You should defend the digital pickpockets from stealing your stuff with better headlines, better social.’”
Catching up with everything that happened in what was essentially a week offline, still. The leaked NYT report on digital is a must-read.