NEW YORK, NY Oct. 8 (DPI) – The New York Times has de-emphasized news coverage on its main index page in favor of commentary, opinions and editorials, a slow but unmistakable shift that underscores the digital era’s impact on news publishing – and today’s partisan side-taking of major media.

A review of screen shots of NYTimes.com index pages over the years confirms that the main web page of The Times places more and more emphasis on points of view, rather than straight journalism, at least in terms of page placement. Most of the viewable top-of-page headlines are now op-ed headlines located the site’s “Opinion” section.

While the trend of more commentary on site index pages is apparent on other sites – including WSJ.com and WashingtonPost.com – it’s most pronounced on NYTimes.com.

While it is impossible to compare today the sheer volume of op-ed content versus that of reported journalism, it’s clear that the demands on news publishing in the nonstop digital age has triggered the shift to more commentary. Experts point out the news events get reported instantly today, rather than in a 12-hour or 24-hour news cycle, so news organizations must produce analysis and opinion quickly as well.