IP: all the xxx that is yyy ... NY Times contest

[Dave Farber <farber () central cis upenn edu>]

The New York Times on the Web
http://www.nytimes.com
      
The New York Times on the Web Begins Search for Digital Equivalent 
to "All the News That's Fit to Print"


Contest Commences on 100th Anniversary Date of Newspaper's 
Purchase by Adolph S. Ochs, the Publisher who Coined the Famous 
Masthead Slogan


NEW YORK, NY USA-18Aug96/NetWIRE/-- The New York Times today
announced a worldwide contest to find the digital equivalent to the
slogan "All the News That's Fit to Print."  The new slogan will be
used on the newspaper's web site, The New York Times on the Web
http://www.nytimes.com  The contest asks Times readers, both
print and on-line, to summarize in 10 words or less, the news
mission of The New York Times on the Web.


 August 18th marks the date 100 years ago when publisher
Adolph S. Ochs purchased the newspaper.  It was Mr. Ochs
(pronounced "ox") who coined the now famous slogan that appears on
the masthead of the newspaper.


 "When my great grandfather Adolph Ochs created the slogan 'All the
News That's Fit to Print' a century ago, it was his way of declaring
the newspaper's intention to report the news impartially during a
time when yellow journalism prevailed", said Arthur Sulzberger Jr.,
publisher of The New York Times.  "It's a testament to his vision
that his words are as relevant today as they were back then, even
as new technologies redefine the way in which we gather, report and
deliver the news."


 The winning slogan will be selected by a panel of judges who
include Esther Dyson, editor and publisher of the computer industry
newsletter Release 1.0, Jack Rosenthal, assistant managing editor of
The New York Times and editor of The New York Times Magazine, and
Martin Nisenholtz, president of The New York Times Electronic Media
Company.   The winning slogan will be announced in the newspaper and
on the web site on October 25th -- 100 years to the day that
"All the News That's Fit to Print"  first appeared in the newspaper.


 Mr. Nisenholtz observed, "Mr. Ochs's vision for The New York Times
is as clear for us in electronic publishing as it is for our
colleagues at the newspaper.  We see this contest as a fun way to
engage readers of The New York Times and the million or more people
who will use our web site during this historic year."
 
 Mr. Ochs, the 39-year-old publisher of the Chattanooga Times,
completed the purchase of a failing, 9,000-circulation New York
Times on August 18, 1896.  In his first year, he not only coined the
slogan, but also started the Magazine and Book Review sections.
The slogan first appeared on the editorial page on October 25, 1896.
It moved to its present position, the upper left hand box of page 1,
on February 10, 1897.


 History repeats itself with this contest.  After Mr. Ochs coined
the slogan, it was decided to offer $100 to anyone who could
propose a better one.  The response was astonishing with thousands
of entries including, "All the News That's Fit to Read," "All the
News Worth Telling," "Free From Filth, Full of News," and "News
for the Millions, Scandal for None."  Although a winner was
selected (D.M. Redfield of New Haven, Connecticut for "All the
World News but Not a School for Scandal"), the orginal slogan had
already become ingrained in the public mind.  Mr. Ochs and his
editors paid Mr. Redfield the $100 prize, but elected to retain
"All the News That's Fit to Print."


 Readers of the newspaper can enter the contest by mailing a 3 X 5
postcard with their suggested slogan, name, address and daytime
phone number to New York Times on the Web Slogan Contest,
P.O. Box 957, New York, NY  10036.  Visitors to web site
(http://www.nytimes.com) can submit entries via e-mail to:
slogan () nytimes com.  And, once again, the grand prize is $100.
(If it was good enough for Mr. Ochs, it's good enough for us.)
Entries will be accepted until midnight on October 1, 1996.