Romenesko

NYTimes.com
A New York Times reader asks: "Is it accurate to describe special sections as vehicles to stimulate specialized and lucrative advertising?" Special sections editor Claudia Payne replies: "If there were no advertising at all to support a particular special section, we would probably discontinue publishing it. When we develop new sections it is because we sense growth, change and opportunity in a topic. If we guess right, we stimulate new journalism and the advertising department can stimulate new advertising."