1 : a government official (as in Sweden or New Zealand) appointed to receive and investigate complaints made by individuals against abuses or capricious acts of public officials
2 : one that investigates reported complaints (as from students or consumers), reports findings, and helps to achieve equitable settlements
http://www.webster.com/cgi-bin/dictionary?sourceid=Mozilla-search&va=ombudsmanIn the case of the NY Times, someone designated to investigage complaints from readers about actions (or INactions) by the NYT.