The New York Times website is one of the most credible and consistent news websites in the industry.
Upon initial review of the site, it is apparent that the Times takes pride in a formal and proportional appearance. The fonts on the homepage are consistent throughout the site. The articles are arranged proportionally to their perceived importance or particular section.
A look at Tuesday’s homepage, just after 1 p.m.
At the top of the homepage, the sections of the newspaper are listed. To access any of the sections, the reader needs only to click on the word and they will be taken to the desired section.
Hyperlinks for sections at the top of the homepage.
One of the first things a visitor to the site will see is a large photograph, video, or chart in the center of the screen. The art is usually associated with the featured article at that time of day.
Featured article at 1:38 p.m. about housing at a California school.
Down the left side of the page are the headlines and sub headers for the most important stories of the day. Usually it is a mix of national and international stories of some significance. Editorial pieces are usually featured at the top right of the page.
Below there is a section called “Watching” that gives small updates (usually one or two sentences) from important news events. The column is refreshed constantly and keeps the reader abreast of important developments through the day.
The site does not seem overwhelmed by advertisements. It allows the reader to enjoy the news content on the site without being overly solicited.
The stories, especially features, usually have video, photos, or interactive graphs to give the reader more insight into the topic being covered. The videos are pooled further down into a video section. The quality of art is almost always top notch.
Screenshot of the video section at nytimes.com
In summary, the operators of the website seemingly make significant efforts to ensure that the content on the site is easily accessible and that the content is free of errors. It is a highly professional endeavor that adds credibility to the product.
Jay Michael Miller 