The ongoing consolidation of the New York Times into an increasingly efficient, cost-effective entity continues with word that the Website of the International Herald Tribune, the Times’ international sister edition, will shut down and, by process of phagocytosis, be engulfed by the Times Website. Though a Times exec tells Forbes that the decision is “absolutely, positively not about cost savings,” a memo to employees acknowledged that some “hard decisions about jobs at the IHT” will have to be made.
Coincidentally, yesterday was the first day of the Times reorganization of the “Sports” and “Metro” sections, which are being combined with the “Business” and “A” sections, respectively. So it seems like everything in Times-world is getting tighter, more compact. We don’t want to cause alarm, but we’ve also heard that they’re planning on fusing together the bodies of Maureen Dowd and David Brooks; the resulting freakish monstrosity will be known as Mavid Browd and will be forced to write one utterly schizophrenic opinion piece a week which will be simultaneously flirty and professorial. But in reality, the person who should really be concerned is shadowy Internet overlord Matt Drudge, who makes a habit of purposefully linking to stories on the IHT Website instead of the Times whenever possible due to what we can only assume is his personal animus toward the Times. Will Drudge swallow his pride and — (gulp) — link directly to the Times articles? Or will they simply disappear from the site, and, therefore, the Earth?
Times to Shutter IHT Site [Forbes]
