Final answer:
In mid-2015, The New York Times was navigating the shift from print to digital, using social media and digital pay plans to maintain visibility and financial stability amidst industry-wide declines in print revenue and investigative reporting.
Step-by-step explanation:
Assessment of The New York Times (NYT) in Mid-2015
In mid-2015, The New York Times (NYT) faced a rapidly changing media landscape characterized by the shift from traditional print to digital platforms. The organization had been critical of government policies and had engaged in detailed investigative journalism, despite the industry’s challenges. According to the Pew Research Center's Project for Excellence in Journalism, while newspaper circulation stabilised at around $10 billion, the rise in digital ad revenue could not fully compensate for the loss in print revenue. Newspapers, including the NYT, turned to social media and digital pay plans as strategies to remain visible and financially viable. The adaptation led to newspapers becoming leaner with a marked reduction in the thoroughness and scope of investigative reporting. At the same time, there was nationwide concern about the decrease in news coverage, especially at the local and state levels, due to the folding of small-town newspapers and the shrinking of the state legislative press corps.