In the spring of 2014, a low rumble could be felt deep in the media landscape. An in-house report about the need for digital innovation at The New York Times was leaked by competitors, and what it revealed was a major news organization clearly struggling to overcome internal stasis and catch up with new fleet-footed players.
Not long after the leak, Harvard's Nieman Journalism Lab called the report one of the "key documents of this digital age," and it quickly became a wake-up call for both the Times and other media outlets around the world facing similar challenges. Calling for structural changes and a multidepartment embrace of digital-first strategies, its frank plea for change resonated with many legacy publications.
The report can also be seen as a turning point for Arthur Gregg — known as A.G. — Sulzberger, a fairly young reporter who had been asked to lead the team behind it. A.G. also happens to be the son of then-publisher Arthur Ochs Sulzberger, and at that time, he was gradually becoming the heir apparent. The report's impact was palpable, and over time, NYT's strategic investment into digital and subscriber-centric strategies began to bear fruit.