Posted on 08/29/2005 12:39:06 PM PDT by Pikamax
My opinion David Stoeffler: Opinion pages get a makeover
More words. More letters. No more Ann Coulter.
Since my arrival here nine weeks ago, we've been doing a lot of behind-the-scenes work aimed at making the Arizona Daily Star a better newspaper.
Today, we unveil some visible changes to your Opinion pages. More changes will come here and throughout the paper over the coming weeks and months.
First, the highlights of changes to the Opinion pages. Then a little about the process we're using to arrive at our plans.
When I first wrote to you as I assumed my duties here, I invited your comments about the paper.
Of an estimated 300 e-mails and letters, I'd guess one third or so have dealt with some aspect of the Opinion pages and a recent redesign.
Very few said you loved it. Some of you said you could leave it.
It's true enough that for some readers, the only way to win their hearts would be to reverse the longstanding editorial position of the newspaper on political and social issues.
But readers of all political persuasions said a redesign launched earlier this year on the Opinion pages had simply gone too far in emphasis on design. While strong visuals, including cartoons, can help pull readers into the pages, people ultimately turn to these pages for the commentary - ours, that of our local and syndicated columnists and that of other readers.
Beginning today, we're shifting the balance back toward more words. We'll still have photos and cartoons, but they will consistently run smaller. No more full-body photos of the letter-writer of the week or of people who contribute to our weekly highlights from local blogs.
The cartoons of David Fitzsimmons and others will run smaller - more similar to their size prior to the redesign. This will free up room for our two daily syndicated columnists, adding about 100 words to the average length of each column.
Fitz's Sunday "Tucson Boulevard" cartoon strip will move to Page 2 of the section each week, replacing his regular cartoon spot there. That will free up room for another columnist on the cover most Sundays. Sometimes, I'll have a column in this spot, but we're considering a variety of local and syndicated options for most weeks.
The design changes on the page opposite our editorial will mean more room for your letters. This was probably the No. 1 request of people who wrote to me. We've been publishing additional letters online, but now we'll get more of them into print, too.
Finally, we've decided that syndicated columnist Ann Coulter has worn out her welcome. Many readers find her shrill, bombastic and mean-spirited. And those are the words used by readers who identified themselves as conservatives.
Taking her place on Saturdays will be Tony Snow, host of "The Tony Snow Show," syndicated nationally on Fox News Radio, and "Weekend Live with Tony Snow" on Fox News Channel. He has worked at a number of daily newspapers and is a former speechwriter for former President George H.W. Bush.
We're also making a lineup change to the staffing of our Opinion pages. With the return of writer Sam Negri following a lengthy medical leave, Sarah Garrecht Gassen will resume her duties as a reporter on our Metro desk. Sarah will continue to coordinate Young Voices, the Friday roundup of opinion by local teens and young adults.
These changes are part of an overall effort to better serve our readers and improve our journalism.
Running a newspaper is something like building a three-legged stool.
We need to understand and satisfy a broad audience. Through a combination of market research and regular contact, we come to know what readers want.
We need a staff of reporters, photographers, artists, copy editors and others to gather and produce the content that meets the needs of those readers. Like any group of professionals, they do their best when they are engaged and excited about the direction of the organization. I've spent most of my time these past few weeks listening to them and getting them involved in building our future.
My role, and that of other top editors, is to serve as a catalyst to bring those readers and journalists together, to provide leadership and an overall vision.
With more or less equal legs, the newspaper can stand taller and reach higher.
As we make further changes, we'll keep you posted. Sometimes, I will write to explain our efforts. Other times, Reader Advocate Debbie Kornmiller will provide a guide to the remodeling or new features.
At all times, we welcome your feedback. You can write to me at the address below (or you'll find me listed every day on Page A2 of the paper). You'll also find Debbie's contact information there each day or with her regular Sunday column (on page H3 today).
Please let us know what you think.
David Stoeffler is publisher and editor of the Star. Contact him at dstoeffler@azstarnet.com or at P.O. Box 26807, Tucson, AZ 85726.
How can somebody be "shrill" when you're reading something.
Is it actually the voices in your head, lefties?
He responded to my letter. Me first, then him.
ME:
You dropped Ann because folks identifying themselves as Conservatives complained?
It has been typical for a very long time for liberals to call radio shows and write newspapers saying they are conservatives to complain about conservatives and they have been caught frequently.
I'd bet you money that if you were to check out the people that actually emailed you, you'd find out they voted the other way. Might be a learning experience for you.
Now since you believe those folks that complained were really conservatives, question for you, do you believe that 99.87% of the Iraqi people really voted for Hussam last time?
HIM:
Thanks for your note. Perhaps you misunderstood my reasoning for
dropping Ann Coulter. The decision had little to do with the stated
political persuasion of those commenting. It really had to do with a
combination of overall reader feedback and my own views of the quality of her work.
I will say, though, that at least one of the comments on Coulter came
via a local Republican Party official, who reported on comments made by participants at a county meeting.
I hope you'll find Tony Snow to be a suitable replacement.
David Stoeffler
Why do you say that? What underpins your obviously unpopular opinion?
I've read her shrill books and articles. I'm not impressed.
Her writing is of the same level as, say, Michael Moore and Al Franken. Does she make some points? Sure. But she is just the ideological other side of the political coin from those guys.
Say what you will about Coulter she does urinate off the libbers !!
Then you don't deserve Ann Coulter. She stoops to conquer.
Thanks for your note. Perhaps you misunderstood my reasoning for dropping Ann Coulter. The decision had little to do with the stated political persuasion of those commenting. It really had to do with a combination of overall reader feedback and my own views of the quality of her work.
I will say, though, that at least one of the comments on Coulter came via a local Republican Party official, who reported on comments made by participants at a county meeting.
I hope you'll find Tony Snow to be a suitable replacement.
David Stoeffler
Having had three legged stools, though, I'd tell you that the are stable in theory, not so stable in fact.
In Treason, Ann valiantly makes a defense of the reputation of Senator Joe McCarthy. The Arrogant bullies of of left will - as Cincinnatus' Wife put it "poison the messenger and salt the earth around him" whenever someone tells too much truth too openly and bluntly, as McCarthy did.It has to be a point of honor to support anyone who will oppose the propaganda establishment as blatantly as Ann did, and does.
http://www.freerepublic.com/focus/f-news/997950/posts
"Ann Coulter mean-spirited, bombastic and shrill."
"The Lady Ann is rather soft on the Left. I refer to them as pond scum sucking morons who have a lesser right to breathe God's clean air than a typhoid carrying weasel."
Well, yeah, but you write better. ;)
Ann's forte is the live interview. I have never been particularly impressed with her written articles. Now Mona Charen...
Probably the same ones that call CSPAN all the time b!tching about Bush.
"....And those are the words used by readers who identified themselves as conservatives."
Well, David Stoeffler is therefore too liberal or too stupid to spot a troll who is even obvious to a monkey.
--> Moron.
"Many readers find her shrill, bombastic and mean-spirited. And those are the words used by readers who identified themselves as conservatives."
Spoken like a typical, lying Democrat editor who was looking for an excuse, any excuse, to discontinue Ann's column. The truth just kills these scumbags, so the cowards switch to somebody who won't hurt their feelings.
I urge all Arizona Freepers who currently subscribe to this newspaper to discontinue it immediately. Nothing speaks louder to these scumbags than circulation numbers.
Is bulls###t one word or two?
I honestly doubt if he got that many letters like that and the few that he got were "seminar" writers. "I'm a conservative but......" gets old after a while.
All this means is that the paper is falling in line with MSM parroting the leftist line.
Not hardy. How about "she's intelligent and says what needs to be said" (things the gutless GOP congressmen and/or spokesmen refuse to stand up and say).
Newspapers? What are those? I used to have to wipe the ink off my hands. Funny, my montor doesnt smear when I touch it.
Go ahead and do your little changey thing. No one cares anyway.
I'm not sure what you mean, but as much as I like and appreciate Tony, he doesn't hold a candle to Ann when it comes to writing in an interesting and entertaining way. A writer can either throw jabs or roundhouses, and I prefer the knockout punch.
Regards,
LH
Unfortunately, Fox News is becoming irrelevant (pronanced leftist slant).
Well I'd have to disagree there. Sometimes Annie's facts are suspect to say the least, little things like Canada sent troops to Vietnam give the left a ton of ammo. (I realise Canadians did fight in Vietnam but the Canadian government did not send troops to fight)
She hides alot behind the (I'm not being serious) but then that lessens her arguments (and sometimes she does have some very good points)
I'm sure Ms Coulter won't lose much sleep over this one paper though if this is a trend......
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