Bridging Digital and Print Content

Over the last years, Social Media has grown to an established news channel for a great number of people. But what about the classically printed newspapers? Does digital “kill” print? Quite the contrary, as the New York Times demonstrates. The daily newspaper succeeded in bringing the worlds of digital and print together and now features its reporters’ tweets in the printed version of its newspaper.

The Gray Lady in its New Dress

A few weeks ago, the New York Times gave the second and third page of their printed edition a new look. Previously, the pages A2 and A3 had featured a summary of articles found throughout the paper, a corrections section and a compilation of several news articles. Now, these pages represent a cross-platform roundup, which bridges the newspaper’s print and online presence. Besides, the reporters’ most relevant tweets and social media posts, readers also find video highlights and a snapshot of the most popular articles from the newspaper’s website.

Visually, the redesign of the double page is similar to a “front of the book” concept of a magazine. It also strongly reminds of the NYTimes Morning Briefings, the New York Times’ newsletter, which belongs to the most successful products that the newspaper has launched in recent years.

Combining the Best of Online and Offline

With this new concept of their intro section, the New York Times faces the challenges for a printed newspaper in a more and more digitalized world.

“As we continue to invest and innovate in print, this redesign is a step toward creating a print newspaper for a digital era”,

said Times executive editor Dean Baquet in a press release.

It also shows that stories and news are no longer just made in editorial offices but also on the internet itself. The New York Times reporters often use their private twitter accounts as extensions of daily printed stories and this without any editorial deadline. So, why not present this information also in the printed edition of the newspaper to show the news value for all its readers.

Thanks to their redesign the New York Times demonstrates that digital and analog mutually benefit from each other. There are definitely ways these two worlds can influence and complement each other.