• by Sara Guaglione , January 16, 2017

The New York Times and The Washington Post added new offerings that focus on readers. WaPo launched a newsletter featuring readers’ comments Friday. Last month, the NYTformed a new service journalism section, called “Smarter Living.”

The NYT section, which has a tagline that reads “stories to help you understand the world — and make the most of it,” houses stories with headlines like “Carbs During Workout May Fend Off Colds,” “How to Plan a Honeymoon Trip” and “15 TV Shows to Watch This Season.”

The articles have a throwback feel, akin to SEO-driven, millennial-focused articles.

According to WWD, "Smarter Living" started as a module on the homepage last summer before it became a full-fledged section focused on life advice and clickable headlines.

“The idea is that we are trying to take the concept of service journalism, which the Times has been doing since it launched, essentially, and make it a priority,” Tim Herrera, who became editor of “Smarter Living” in December, told WWD. “We are trying to make a name for ourselves as an outlet that is actually trying to help readers live better lives.”

The section has a mix of archival and new content, as well as stories drawn from different sections, such as the NYT’s popular "Cooking" vertical.

Separately, the Post’s new “Read These Comments” newsletter will highlight interesting comments and conversations from Washington Post readers.

Teddy Amenabar, comments editor for TheWashington Post, will select comments by looking at readers’ likes, replies and submission history. The newsletter will contain one main conversation, a few popular comments from across the newspaper's site and two or three top discussions that newsletter receivers can join.

Readers can also suggest a comment to be included in the newsletter by either clicking the like button or emailing the Post.

"Read These Comments" will go out every Friday afternoon.