As statistical programmers, we're frequently asked to create graphs depicting some sort of statistical summary of data. Sometimes we have few options - the instructions imposed upon us are quite clear and unambiguous. Other times, though, we have some freedom to decide how to best present the information.
Insight into what the New York Times does is archived on this site:
http://chartsnthings.tumblr.com/
which is managed by the NYT graphics staff (although it's a tumblr site, not on nytimes.com).
I don’t necessarily agree with all of their choices. However, it's fascinating to watch a graph evolve from some initial sketches on paper or a whiteboard, to a first electronic version, and finally to something that is presented in the newspaper's "first draft of history."