The New York Times
170+ year-old newspaper that demonstrates active teaching systems for transmitting editorial standards.
170+ year-old newspaper that demonstrates active teaching systems for transmitting editorial standards. The Times employs 1,700+ journalists who must learn 'Times standards' - sourcing, fact-checking, separating news from opinion, handling confidential sources, correcting errors - through 3-5 year apprenticeship under senior editors. This knowledge is cultural, not procedural, and requires active teaching rather than passive learning.
The Times invests approximately $60M annually (30% of senior editor time) in knowledge transfer, protecting a $2B+ subscription revenue stream built on brand trust. The Jayson Blair scandal (2002-2003) illustrated what happens when teaching fails: fabricated sources and plagiarized stories in 36+ articles damaged credibility significantly and forced systematic improvements to mentorship requirements.
Cautionary Notes on The New York Times
- Jayson Blair scandal (2002-2003): Teaching failure allowed 36+ fabricated/plagiarized articles
- Crisis revealed knowledge transfer gaps and forced systematic mentorship improvements