When an Editor’s Job Is to Follow the Moon

On April 8, millions of people will look toward the sky for the total solar eclipse, the first to be visible in North America since 2017. The moon will cross directly in front of the sun, blocking light and casting a shadow on Earth as it makes its journey north from Mexico, over the United States and into Canada. For the more than 30 million people who live inside the path of totality — and the many more who are traveling to optimal viewing spots — daylight will momentarily disappear. In other areas, it will dim.

It will be the last time a total solar eclipse will be visible in most of North America for 20 years.

To cover a spectacle with such a wide scope, reporters across The New York Times banded together. Journalists from different desks, including Science, Weather Data, National and Travel, have written about what to expect; the importance of protective gear for safe viewing; the cloud forecast; and how different U.S. towns have prepared for large swaths of spectators.

The Times’s effort is largely coordinated by Michael Roston, a senior editor on the Health and Science desk. Over the past few months, he has assigned and edited numerous articles about the event, hosted brainstorming meetings and ensured The Times has been producing a robust collection of content.

On the day of the eclipse, Mr. Roston and other editors will lead 30 journalists reporting on the event for The Times’s live blog. In an interview, he discussed how The Times covers the moon … covering the sun. This interview has been edited and condensed.

How did you formulate The Times’s coverage plan?

Fortunately, this isn’t my first time with an eclipse. This will be the third time I’ve worked with reporters from the approximate beginning to end of an eclipse, and I’ve worked on a couple of other solar eclipse events that were a bit more mild mannered and didn’t require as much coordination.