The Daily logo Photo: The New York Times/Supplied
Since setting up its audio unit in 2016, the New York Times has been using podcasts as a way of attracting a younger audience, and to reinforce its reputation for good journalism. Audio allows its reporters to showcase their expertise and their personalities in a very different way than simply having their name on the byline of a written article.
So a few weeks back we featured the series 'Caliphate' which gave listeners an insight into some of the challenges of reporting on Islamic State.
Meanwhile The New York Times' daily news show 'The Daily' has proved a major hit: it's currently sitting at number 2 in the US podcast charts, with 5 million monthly listeners, and annual advertising revenues reported to be worth more than $US10 million.
And other media organisations are trying to emulate its success. Just this week The Guardian, the Canadian Broadcasting Corporation, and NZME., the publisher of The New Zealand Herald, have all unveiled their own daily news podcasts.
Each episode of 'The Daily' comes in at a digestible 20-odd minutes and it's ready to listen to early each weekday in the US, in time for the morning commute. Host Michael Barbaro interviews some of the Times' best journalists about the big news stories of the day, with a team of producers editing their chats, and embellishing them with music and audio clips.
We play some of a story about climate change with Nathaniel Rich discussing his article on a missed opportunity to tackle global warming: a US refusal to enter into an international treaty to control carbon dioxide emissions nearly 30 years ago. We also speak to Clare Toeniskoetter who is one of 10 producers working on 'The Daily' about how the show began, and how it comes together each day.
