Most newspaper editors, if polled, would probably say that the most important stories of our time are politics, the economy and war. Certainly those are the stories that get prime placement on their page ones day in and day out.
Why is that? Well, one reason is that readers aren’t in charge. Take a look at the 10 articles most e-mailed by New York Times readers over the past 24 hours. By our count, two have to do with the economy, none with politics and none with war. Half are either opinion columns or lifestyle stories.
We’re not saying that editors should edit their newspapers according to which stories get e-mailed most. We are saying, however, that the readers of the New York Times just might be trying to tell us something.
The Top Ten:
As of 3:30 p.m. Wednesday, May 25, 2005
1. OPINION | May 24, 2005
Op-Ed Columnist: What Women Want
By John Tierney
The gender gap at work isn’t due to women’s insecurities about their abilities. It’s due to different appetites for competition.
2. DINING & WINE | May 25, 2005
It’s All in How the Dog Is Served
By Ed Levine
The franks themselves might all come from the same place, but New York and its environs are full of standout hot dogs.
3. OPINION | May 25, 2005
Guest Columnist: Listen to My Wife
By Matt Miller
Why not restructure high-powered jobs in ways that give folks the option to have a life?
4. BUSINESS | May 25, 2005
Steep Rise in Prices for Homes Adds to Worry About a Bubble
By David Leonhardt
Home prices rose more quickly over the last year than at any point since 1980, raising new questions about a housing market bubble.
5. OPINION | May 25, 2005
Op-Ed Columnist: C.E.O.’s, M.I.A.
By Thomas L. Friedman
America’s business leaders have an interest in seeing the nation remain globally competitive – but they seem to be missing in action.
6. HEALTH / FITNESS & NUTRITION | May 24, 2005 New Weight-Loss Focus: The Lean and the Restless
By Denise Grady
Scientists measuring how much people move about naturally and spontaneously have run into some interesting findings.
7. BUSINESS / WORLD BUSINESS | May 25, 2005 China, New Land of Shoppers, Builds Malls on Gigantic Scale
By David Barboza
China is embracing America’s “shop till you drop” ethos, as a string of giant new malls, one of them the world’s largest, opens there.
8. NATIONAL / CLASS | May 24, 2005
Class Matters: The College Dropout Boom
By David Leonhardt
College dropouts make up one of the largest and fastest-growing groups of young adults in America. Most, like Andy Blevins, come from poor and working-class families.
9. SPORTS / GOLF | May 24, 2005
Golf Club Prices Are Up; Scores Are Not Down
By Bill Pennington
The average score for the average golfer is still about 100, as it has been for decades, according to the National Golf Foundation.
10. DINING & WINE | May 25, 2005
And for Your Salad, Perhaps a Chilean Organic, 2004?
By Florence Fabricant
Just as wine now cuts a broad swath across the temperate regions of the globe, increasingly olive oil is following suit.
–Steve Lovelady
Steve Lovelady was editor of CJR Daily.