A column by a New York Times journalist was sold for more than half a million dollars on the blockchain on Thursday.
Kevin Roose, a technology reporter for the Times, announced in a column published online on Wednesday that his column would be sold at an online auction as an NFT, or non-fungible token.
Roose wrote that the money he earns from the auction will be donated to the Times’ Most Needy Cases Fund, a global initiative that raised money for the less fortunate. It has raised more than $ 300 million since its founding in 1911.
More than 25 bids were placed in the column, with the winner, a user on the NFT auction site called Farzin, bidding $ 560,185.50.
NFTs are connected to exclusive pieces of software code that ensure that an unalterable record of their origin is stored in blockchain, the distributed accounting technology that forms the basis for cryptocurrencies like Bitcoin.
“As I watched these riches change hands, I thought to myself: why should celebrities, athletes and artists have so much fun? Why can’t a journalist participate in the NFT party too?” Roose wrote.
Roose tweeted live his astonishment at the response his auction had on Thursday.
“Totally just looking at my monitor laughing uncontrollably,” he said.
does anyone know a good encryption counter
– Kevin Roose (@kevinroose) March 25, 2021
In a recent memo to the team, the Times leadership said it would create a committee to ensure that its journalists’ external work does not interfere with their regular obligations.
“The committee will mainly review external projects that have the potential to be competitive with our journalism and business, may conflict with or divert your attention from your work or The Times, involve payment or may be covered in any other way by the policies defined by Manual Journalism, ”the Times said in the memo.