New York Times' "byline beast"

[85bears]

Twenty-eight-year-old reporter apparently leads the world in bylines:

http://www.observer.com/20060626/20060626_Gabriel_Sherman_pageone_offtherec.asp

 

[SCEditor]

When it comes to bylines, I got this guy beat. I doubt there's anybody who's going to catch me.

 

[Scribbled_Notz]

Twenty-eight-year-old reporter apparently leads the world in bylines:

http://www.observer.com/20060626/20060626_Gabriel_Sherman_pageone_offtherec.asp

Anyone think that this kind of culture - keeping track of byline counts as a form of status - might be what got the NYT in trouble with some of their past reporters?

 

[User 4332]

422 bylines in a year may be a lot for the New York Times, but I would venture it's fairly pedestrian compared to much smaller newspapers.

Anybody who has been in a two byline a day shop would've hit 500 a year even if they took two weeks off.

 

[Ace]

I used to put a byline count in reviews. 360 was average for a sport writer. Had guys routinely with over 500 bylines in a year and they weren't mostly metro briefs.

650 may have been the top.

 

[PeteyPirate]

That guy is an effin stud.

 

[Michael_ Gee]

Anybody remember reading a story by this guy and checking the byline to see who did such great work? I'm a Times subscriber and I didn't.

 

[OneMoreRead]

This is a rough estimate, so don't jump on me too much. But there's roughly 25 weeks in the NFL season, from training camp until the end of December. Most NFL beat writers at papers without two people on the same beat have to work at least six days a week. At my paper, our beat guy does a story, sider and note everyday during the season.

Look at the math: 25 weeks X 6 days a week = 150 days; 150 days X three bylines a day = 450 bylines in about six months.

You can go more conservative and say a story and notes every day, and that beat reporter is still turning in 300 bylines in a half year.

Mr. Chan is doing a good job. Put him on a big league beat and he'll start doing some real work.

 

[SCEditor]

Granted I'm at a different kind of newspaper than most, I'd venture I produce more than 1,000 bylines per year. Maybe even closer to 1,500.

 

[novelist_wannabe]

422? I'm not impressed. How many message board posts does he have?

 

[flaming_mo]

This dude seems like he'd be a real blast to work with. (/sarcasm).

 

[SF_Express]

This is an awfully long story about a young reporter doing what he's supposed to do -- report -- and, as noted, he's probably far short in byline count of a lot of people who post here -- and those they work with.

 

[tyler durden 71351]

I met him on an assignment. Seemed like a good guy. Asked a hell of a lot of questions and they were good. I can only imagine how bad a place like the Times is when it comes to professional jealousy.

 

[Ace]

Numbers aside, that was a well-written and interesting profile of a fairly low-level NY Times reporter.

Very well done and interesting. Feel like you get a good sense of the guy.

And note that his only quote was: “I guess I’m really old-fashioned, but I’d rather be the one writing about the news,” Mr. Chan said.

 

[Twoback]

Nearly inhuman? I would guess I averaged 450 from 1993 to 2000.
And I wrote two books and freelanced along the way.

 

[JackS]

      Anybody remember reading a story by this guy and checking the byline to see who did such great work? I'm a Times subscriber and I didn't.

How many Times metro desk reporters have made you think that though? Churning out a lot of stories quickly and without making mistakes is probably one of the best ways to make a name for yourself on that desk. Let's be honest...city hall under Bloomberg is not the "sexiest" beat either. And if you get an out of town edition, you probably don't even get a lot of the stories.

 

[Michael_ Gee]

Jack, your point is well taken. City Hall is one of those beats where the notes and short stories where a byline might get overlooked by a careless reader are the most important writing on the job.

 

[slappy4428]

So is he the Dooley Womack of Bylines or is Dooley the Gabriel Sherman of postpads?

 

[MertWindu]

I read this thing, and all I can do is wonder if its even remotely possible to have a successful career in this business if you don't have a Type-A personality.

 

[zeke12]

If I could count unbylined briefs (community news stuff) I'd crush that guy in six months.

But at the Times, I'd say that's damn impressive.