close
close

first Drop

Com TW NOw News 2024

    • NYT Pageant ‘Needle’ may be unavailable due to tech worker strike
    news

    NYT Pageant ‘Needle’ may be unavailable due to tech worker strike

    Vaseline Posted on

    The New York Times Tech Guild began striking Monday morning.

    play

    The New York Times’ popular election “Needle” may not be available on election night as the publication’s technology guild remains on strike.

    The Times’ Needle estimates the final outcome of an election based on partial election results – all displayed in an interactive model. As more votes are counted, the needle becomes more ‘confident’ in the final outcome of the election.

    The Times Needle, first introduced in 2016, may not be available on election night this year because The Times Tech Guild, which represents more than 700 software engineers, designers, data analysts and product managers, has been on strike since Monday . Many of these individuals help manage the needle.

    In a story published by the Times on Tuesday, the publication addressed what could happen if the strike continues into Tuesday evening.

    “If we can’t live stream the Needle results, our journalists plan to run the statistical model periodically, examine its results and post updates in our live blog about what they’re seeing – giving our readers a sense of where the race actually stands. over the course of the night,” the team wrote.

    Live results: How to follow live election results in the 2024 races for President, Senate, House and more

    Presidential elections 2024: Follow here for live news updates on Harris vs. Trump

    How does the needle work?

    According to the Times, the needle takes into account where votes remain to be counted in a given race and which candidate is doing better than expected.

    “As results come in, the Needle compares what is reported with pre-election expectations, county by county and district by district,” the Times’ Election Analysis team wrote Tuesday. “The company then estimates who will win the remaining votes, based on the patterns it has seen in the results so far.”

    Election expectations are compiled from New York Times/Siena College polls, other public polls, voter registration files, the U.S. Census, and past election results.

    Using a statistical model, the Needle adjusts the noted expectations as it begins to receive results. District data keeps the needle most accurate because districts represent the smallest geographic units.

    The Times collects unofficial election results from local, state and federal agencies across the country to “feed the needle.”

    Why is the Times Tech Guild notable?

    In a post on X (formerly Twitter) on Monday, the Times Tech Guild shared an image of their own ‘Needle’, predicting the chances of a fair contract. The image reads: “Strike sure. 100% chance of work stoppage.”

    Joe Van Acker, program manager at the Times, took to the technology guild’s social media to speak out about the guild’s negotiations with the company.

    “Supporting the newsroom on election night was a unique opportunity for me, but one that I will gladly sacrifice along with my colleagues in pursuit of a fair contract,” Acker said in a statement shared by the guild. on X.

    The Times Tech Guild unionized in March 2022 and continues to finalize its first contract.

    The guild has been negotiating since late Sunday and is interested in adding a “just cause” provision to its contract, meaning employees can only be fired for misconduct or another such reason. The guild is also asking for a pay increase, pay equality and a return to tenure policy.

    On Sunday, Times management offered employees a 2.5% annual raise, a minimum 5% raise for promotions and a $1,000 ratification bonus, the Times said. The offer also maintained current in-office work requirements, which are two days per week through June, while allowing employees to work fully remotely for three weeks per year.

    “We are disappointed that the Tech Guild leadership is trying to jeopardize our journalistic mission at this critical time,” Times Chief Growth and Customer Officer Hannah Yang and Chief Technology Officer Jason Sobel said in an email to the workers, published by the Times.

    Greta Cross is a national trending reporter at USA TODAY. Follow her on X and Instagram @gretalcross. Story idea? Email her at [email protected].

    Vaseline
    View all posts

    You Might Also Like