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The New York Times Celebrates 40th Anniversary of Op-Ed Page with Retrospective of Diverse Voices and Essential Issues through the Years
Tuesday 28. September 2010 - The New York Times is celebrating the 40thanniversary of the Op-Ed page with a look back at some of the most acclaimed and debated Op-Ed contributors throughout the years, including past presidents and foreign leaders, Nobel Laureates and Pulitzer Prize winners.
The Times on Sunday, Sept. 26 will offer a special standalone print section with a selection of notable Op-Ed voices and topics. Throughout this week the redesigned Opinion section online is rolling out a series of video interviews with past contributors. On Saturday evening, Sept. 25, a special feature on NYTimes.com will allow users to browse videos, Op-Art and the selection of Op-Eds that will appear in the print section the following day.
“The launch of The New York Times Op-Ed page in 1970 represented a promise to our readers: a place to illuminate the debate on issues of interest and importance to them, by bringing ideas and opinions from outside our walls and placing them across from our editorial page,” said Andrew Rosenthal, editorial page editor, The New York Times. “Forty years later, The Times has not only kept the promise but has expanded on it online and in the paper. Our redesigned Opinion section online has an exciting new look, but more important, makes it easier for our readers to absorb and engage with outstanding opinion journalism, and to give them many more reasons to spend more time with us throughout the day.”
The 18-page standalone section in Sunday’s New York Times will highlight resounding themes woven throughout the past 40 years. Each theme will feature excerpts of Op-Ed pieces written by luminaries on that topic. The themes are:
The Presidency
Lit. – great writers from Saul Bellow to Roald Dahl on issues of the day
Age of Terrorism
New York
Science
Money
Equality/ Inequality – social justice movement from feminism to gay rights to racial equality
And so on… – a collection of great reads throughout the years
And a selection of Web-only commentary.
Online, users can browse selections from the deep archives of the Op-Ed page, with special features:
Throughout the week of Sept. 20 – My Op-Ed Moment, a series of video interviews with Op-Ed contributors discussing the back story and reaction to their appearance on the Op-Ed page, with a new video appearing each day this week;
Saturday, Sept. 25 – 40 years of Op-Eds, an interactive way to browse the approximately 100 pieces that will be profiled in print, linking to the full articles from The Times’s deep archive; and
Monday, Sept. 27 – 40 years of Op-Ed illustrations, a short documentary featuring interviews with art directors and illustrators talking about their ground-breaking work and the evolution of Op-Ed illustrations at The Times.
In conjunction with the anniversary, the online Opinion section has been re-launched as The Opinion Pages, with a streamlined design and a variety of section-front layouts that allow the Opinion homepage to be reconfigured to best highlight the day’s top offerings, including columns, videos, Op-Art and blog posts. A left navigation bar allows users to select content by category (Columnists, Editorials, Op-Ed, Opinionator, Letters, Topics and Room For Debate) and subcategory, making the broad spectrum of Opinion content more easily found.
The Op-Ed page, which stands for opposite editorial, made its debut on Sept. 21, 1970 as a move to open the opinion pages to the voices of others, presenting a range of views on major issues. Some are written by prominent thinkers with a deep knowledge on a particular subject, and some are written by a new voice with a unique view.