NBC News and 'NYT' To Share 2008 Presidential Campaign Coverage

By: Joe Strupp The New York Times has forged an agreement with NBC News on 2008 presidential campaign coverage that will include Times content being placed on MSNBC.com, and NBC News reports posted on the Times Web site.

"Effective today, the two entities will work together to showcase each other?s journalism on their Web sites, in video and in print, and to broaden and deepen their coverage of the campaign for viewers and readers," a release from the Times today stated.

Specifically, the agreement will mean:

* MSNC.com will publish premium national political content from NYTimes.com on its Web site.

* The Times will have access to NBC News? premium political video content for streaming and publishing on NYTimes.com.

* NBC News will have "first access to breaking news and enterprise reporting from New York Times journalists on the campaign trail for all its on-air and online platforms."

* The Times will have "first access to breaking news from NBC News journalists on the campaign trail for its various platforms."

The Times also stated that both entities "will explore ways to work together on day-to-day political coverage and at major political events. They will also look for opportunities for joint enterprise reporting on the candidates and major issues and developments in the campaign. The collaboration will be in addition to, and will not replace, the news organizations? existing relationships with other content partners."

?The 2008 campaign is already the biggest political story of our lifetimes, and getting bigger and more complex with every passing day,? Mark Lukasiewicz, vice president of Digital Media for NBC News, said in a statement. ?This collaboration gives our organizations the ability to cover all the bases, with a powerhouse combination of top-quality journalism and top-flight technology delivering the story to viewers and readers wherever, and whenever, they want it.?

Added Vivian Schiller, senior vice president and general manager of NYTimes.com, "Collectively, The New York Times, NBC and msnbc.com can deliver the most comprehensive and innovative multimedia reporting on the 2008 election in media."