Sept. 18, 1851, was a special day in American journalism.

It was on that day — 175 years ago today, to be exact — that The New York Times published for the first time.

On Thursday, to celebrate this remarkable anniversary, the Times rang the opening bell at the New York Stock Exchange.

In announcing the milestone and the ringing of the bell at the NYSE, the Times said, “At the core of The Times’s long-term business success has been our investment in original, fact-based journalism. For 175 years, our reporters have gone out into the world to unearth facts that would otherwise remain unknown. That work is hard and increasingly rare, but it remains the most valuable thing we do. Today, The Times has a bigger newsroom than at any point in our history, more subscribers than any other subscription news business in the world and an audience that is orders of magnitude larger than it was even in the heyday of print. That growth has enabled us to continue investing in our journalism and in new ways to bring that work to more people around the world.”

But it’s not just a one-day celebration.

The Times’ Sarah Bahr wrote, “From this week through mid-December, dozens of writers will contribute nearly 50 stories exploring The Times’s triumphs and shortcomings. A special issue of The New York Times Magazine is planned, as is a commemorative section of the paper. All of the work will be free to read online.”

Bahr spoke with David Shipley, the Times’ editor overseeing coverage of the milestone.

Shipley told Bahr, “It’s been a giant lesson in perspective. You see context and precedent where you didn’t necessarily see it before. You see that challenges we face today are challenges we’ve faced along the way, in just about every realm. Maybe most of all, when you look back, you come away with deep admiration for the stubborn persistence of our values and commitment.”

And this won’t simply be a celebration of the Times’ many accomplishments and proudest moments. The retrospective also will include low moments, such as the Jayson Blair fabrication and plagiarism scandal and the reporting failures regarding Saddam Hussein’s weapons program leading up to the Iraq War.

Shipley told Bahr, “The ways we’ve addressed our mistakes and blind spots are in some ways our proudest moments, especially in an age when apologizing and acknowledging errors or misjudgment isn’t something you see every day. If you’re really clear about it, it builds trust and helps give people one more reason to have faith in what you’re doing.”

In the end, however, it should be seen as a celebration of one of America’s great journalism institutions that continues to do incredible work.

Shipley said, “Newspapers are focused on today and tomorrow, and sometimes we forget yesterday. The fact is that yesterday can be a source of great journalism and useful context to help people understand the moment.”

End of the controversy?

One of the big stories in college football over the past week was University of Texas head coach Steve Sarkisian blowing off ESPN sideline reporter Holly Rowe when she tried to interview him on the field following Texas’ come-from-behind victory against then-No. 1 Ohio State last Saturday night.

A university source tried to say ESPN technical issues led to Sarkisian rushing off before Rowe could finish her first question. But not many bought that excuse. Making matters worse was that Sarkisian initially didn’t comment publicly on what many saw as needless disrespect toward an esteemed reporter.

The whole mess got worse on Monday when Texas star quarterback Arch Manning laughed with reporters over an AI-generated video depicting Sarkisian slapping Rowe. Manning has since apologized publicly to Rowe, and the two had a private conversation, after which Rowe said she accepted his apology.

Finally, on Thursday, Sarkisian addressed what happened after the game and said he regretted his behavior.

Sarkisian at first pointed to a “delay” after shaking hands with Ohio State coach Ryan Day and said he was eager to celebrate with his team.

But Sarkisian then said, “If hindsight’s 20/20, if I could do it all over again, I would have exuded more patience in that moment and … sat through and waited for the interview with Holly. Obviously, we have a ton of respect for ESPN and Holly. Holly and I go way back to even to my days of playing at BYU, and we’ve got a great relationship. ESPN is a great partner of ours.”

He added, “We know we’re going to have more opportunities with that crew covering us, and we’re looking forward to those opportunities. So, could have definitely handled that situation better with a little bit more patience in the moment.”

Sarkisian then mentioned Manning’s regrettable comments about the AI video, adding, “Obviously Arch recognizes he made a mistake, and it’s an unfortunate one. Nowhere do we condone domestic violence or violence against women. Nothing in our program says that nor Arch individually. I think if he could take it back, he would. But he has since apologized to Holly.”

So, a couple of things. Good that Sarkisian finally addressed everything that happened after Saturday’s game and seemed to take some accountability. But it shouldn’t have taken until Thursday — some five days later — to publicly say he handled it poorly and should have treated Rowe with more — or any, for that matter — respect.

All this comes during an especially trying time for Rowe. Her mother passed away on Aug. 31. On Wednesday, she tweeted, “We buried my beautiful Mother today. We honored her with the things she loves most…Dr. Pepper, Purple, Butterflies released and music. So grateful for my amazing family. We laughed, cried and loved on each other today. Love you Momma. You raised an amazing family.”

Media news, tidbits and other interesting links for your weekend review

• The Los Angeles Times’ Salvador Hernandez, Hannah Fry and Richard Winton with “NBC4 chopper’s final moments: A blaring alarm, loss of altitude and panic. Why did it crash?”
• Journalist Austin Tice was kidnapped in August 2012 while reporting in Syria. Now comes this report from the BBC’s Josh Baker and Sara Obeidat: “Assad regime planned US journalist’s kidnap for weeks, BBC finds.”
• The Washington Post’s Jonathan Edwards with “Judge says Trump’s board may not demolish Kennedy Center without warning.”
• Excellent reporting for this disturbing story from The Athletic’s Katie Strang, Nathan Fenno and Adam Kilgore: “Inside Arizona State men’s hockey, and the workout that left a player on life support.”
• The Boston Globe’s Aidan Ryan with “A Rhode Island website was once an influential progressive blog. AI avatars now write most of its stories.”
• The Ringer’s Brian Phillips with “The AI Apocalypse Bracket: Just How Doomed Are We, Really?”
• Karl Rove, senior adviser and deputy chief of staff for President George W. Bush, with this stunning piece in The Wall Street Journal: “Why I’m Voting for a Texas Democrat.”

More resources for journalists

• Get ahead of the next flood story with a free Poynter Beat Academy webinar on Oct. 8. Learn how to find reliable flood data, identify communities at risk and prepare data-driven coverage before disaster strikes. Enroll now.
• Strengthen your investigative reporting with Will Work for Impact: Fundamentals of Investigative Journalism from Oct. 2-Nov. 3, 2026. Enroll now.
• Understand U.S. Immigration: From the Border to the Heartland with a new lesson on children and families, covering legal protections, the evolving policy landscape and reporting considerations for journalists covering immigrant families and children. Free, self-directed online course.

Have feedback or a tip? Email Poynter senior media writer Tom Jones at tjones@poynter.org.

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