One word for NYT: Innovative

The annual awards that identify the most innnovative digital journalism conferred on The Gray Lady a some big-ticket bling. the Batten Award for Innovation.  NYT scooped up the $10,000 first prize for six "striking entries:"

Represent, which helps city residents keep tabs on their elected officials, culling information from dozens of sources into a Facebook-style activity feed.

Document Reader, which allows documents to be posted online in a clean interface that allows searching, bookmarking, comments and annotations.

Custom Times, a prototype for personalized Times news reports that seamlessly transition across print, Web, mobile, television and even the car.

Debate Analysis Tool, a replicable tool that allowed users to watch the 2008 presidential debates and speeches on demand with a searchable transcript scrolling simultaneously alongside.

Living with Less, engaging audio and video portraits of peoples’ lives that have been upended by the recession.

One Word, a replicable tool that asked users on Election Day to share “What One Word Describes Your Current State of Mind?“

I'm not surprised.  The Times started investing in digital innovators a couple years back and it's been obvious for months that they've hit their stride.  As I noted earlier this year, they figured out how to cut through the technical and bureaucratic limitations that big newspapers are famous for and proved that the MSM can do digital right.

Congratulations.