Let's make a change

Does the question 'Maybe I should do something now?" only arise if your company is on the verge of death? The Washington Post executive editor, Leonard Downie Jr., just now sent out a memo proposing new changes to be made to increase print circulation, boost the numbers of Web readers and reduce costs in the newsroom.

Downie refers to his action as an "opportunity to transform journalism for a new era."

It appears that The Washington Post is making changes to ensure that readers will get news that they can't get anywhere else.

"We are moving reporters and editors within and among staffs to accomplish this. In particular, we are moving a number of reporters from general assignment positions to more specific assignments and beats. We also are centralizing reporting and editing of some core subjects across staff lines...."

Downie remains optimistic about these new changes with the paper.

"This remains a challenging time, but also one of great opportunity. Even as we reduce newsroom staff and costs, we will have amply sufficient staff and talent to make this transformation."

I applaud the initiative Downie is taking, but are these new adjustments really going to make a difference in print circulation? The ease of retrieving news via websites seems to outweigh the action of having to walk to your front door or mailbox, pick up the paper, sit down, then flip the pages open to your desired section. Online users are also ensured they won't have any missing pages or smudged print, unlike the tangible news item.