Memo from (WaPo) exec editor Downie (Deck Chair Re-arrangement Alert/Dinosaur Media DeathWatch™)

Phil and I met yesterday with the newsroom's senior editors to discuss proposals and make decisions as we continue to transform our newsroom, the newspaper and our relationship with washingtonpost.com. We have much more to do to maximize readership of the printed newspaper, build audience on the Web site and further reduce costs in the newsroom.

As you have noticed from developments at other newspapers, readership and economic challenges remain daunting. Our goal is to be the one newsroom that does this right. We must produce high quality, compelling journalism and carry out our public service mission while adjusting our cost structure to shifting advertising revenues.

We are not just cutting costs. We believe that everything we are doing will make the newspaper stronger and increase readership of the printed paper and washingtonpost.com.

We are re-directing newsroom staff and resources to our highest priority journalism in print and on the Web. In form, our priorities include original reporting, scoops, analysis, investigations and criticism. In content, they include politics, government accountability, economic policy and what our readers need to know about the world – plus local government, schools, transportation, public safety, development, immigrant communities, health care, sports, arts and entertainment.

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. Metro now has responsibility for all education coverage. We will build on the model of Sandy Sugawara's cross-staff coordination of immigration coverage to do something similar for that and other core subjects. This may lead to the movement of more reporters and editors around the newsroom.

In the process, we will continue to shrink the newsroom staff through attrition, as low-priority positions become vacant. We also are tightening up the paper's news hole, beginning with the reconfiguration of the financial market tables in today's Business section, which saves two pages of newsprint each day. Other newshole reductions will be scattered throughout the newspaper, so readers will not lose significant content.

We are continuing to renovate sections of the paper to make them more attractive to readers. The re-launches of the Health, Food and Home sections are scheduled for early next year. Work is also well underway on creating a new Style and Arts section in the Sunday paper. The revamped Outlook section is an example of the improvements we are seeking./CONTINUED BELOW

We will make more progress in presenting our coverage more effectively in news sections. We will take a new approach to story length, which remains an important challenge, despite the progress already made in some parts of the paper. We will soon publish story length guidelines for the staff, along with ways to adhere to them. Our goal is for the newspaper to be filled with stories of different sizes and forms – and to provide both reporters and editors the tools to better edit for length. Our philosophy will be that every story must earn its length, so readers will want to read and finish more stories.

As part of this approach, we will better coordinate the preparation of related stories, photographs and graphical elements – and the design of pages on which they will appear. Visual journalism will be given still more importance in the printed paper.

We also are working on ways to expand and increase the impact of our journalism on washingtonpost.com. The re-launches of Health, Food and Home will be accompanied by the launch of a related section of the Web site. Our plans for coverage of the two-year 2008 campaign, which is beginning now, will include both re-direction of newsroom resources for expanded political coverage in the printed newspaper and significant initiatives on washingtonpost.com. In her new role as editor of washingtonpost.com, Liz Spayd will help us think first about the Web site for all of our best journalism.

The senior editors will meet again early next month to take more steps to re-direct resources to provide high quality journalism on key strategic subjects that matter most in print and stand out on the Web. We will have another newsroom staff meeting on Thursday, December 14 to tell you more about what we are doing and answer your questions.

This remains a challenging time, but also one of great opportunity – the opportunity to transform journalism for a new era in The Washington Post and on washingtonpost.com. Even as we reduce newsroom staff and costs, we will have amply sufficient staff and talent to make this transformation.

It is the most important change that I will lead as executive editor. It reminds me of my early days in the newsroom, when Ben Bradlee began boldly transforming the paper during the 1960s and 1970s. The newsroom was well less than half the size it is now, and we were underdogs. But we found our edge, produced original journalism and had fun creating The Washington Post all of you joined. Now, we're taking the next step.

Ben Bradlee Supports 'Washington Post' Changes -- Says Challenges for Downie Greater Than In His Era
Ben Bradlee

By Joe Strupp

Published: November 15, 2006 1:10 PM ET

NEW YORK Ben Bradlee, the former executive editor of The Washington Post, supported the recent changes in news coverage that current executive editor Leonard Downie Jr. proposed in a Tuesday memo. But he disagreed with Downie's comparison (in that memo) to changes he made in the 60s and 70s -- contending that Downie has a harder job ahead than he did.

"He has a whole string of new problems I didn't have," said Bradlee, who headed the newsroom from 1965 to 1991 and still maintains an office there. "How do you cope with the Internet? How do you cope with kids not reading enough? There are problems of comparable scope, but his are probably harder than mine."

Staffers contacted by E&P reacted to Downie's plan and the likely changes with optimism, but some concern about the unknown elements. "It is the right way to go and there was probably too big a staff," said reporter Walter Pincus, whose time at the paper dates back to 1966. "We've drifted away from covering some things that are important to readers, too many people are covering the same areas when a big event occurs."

Susan Schmidt, an investigative reporter and 23-year Post staffer, also showed hope. "We know we are going to have to downsize and we are in a period of transition," she said. "Most people are noticing the reality of the industry."

Bradlee and others were responding to the lengthy memo in which Downie announced changes in news coverage and likely staffing that would include cuts though attrition, reassignments away from general assignment and toward more beat coverage, increased Web site use, shorter stories, and smaller newshole.

The memo stated that it was "the most important change that I will lead as executive editor. It reminds me of my early days in the newsroom, when Ben Bradlee began boldly transforming the paper during the 1960s and 1970s."

Bradlee has been credited during that time with making the paper better by improving coverage and writing, as well as making several sections better, such as the well-known Style section. Today, Bradlee said that Downie's challenge may be more difficult because the paper is already great, but dealing with financial problems he did not have.

"Money pressures had just been alleviated when I took over, the Post was comfortably in the black," he said. "He is starting from a higher [quality] base, there are theoretically less improvements to be made."

Bradlee praised the push for more Internet efforts, and said reducing staff through attrition should not affect the paper's quality. "I think we've got too many people," he said. "You've got people who write three or four pieces a year. Some people can write three or four books a year." As for the Web, he added that "the Internet is a key part of the package. What would we be doing, beyond twiddling our thumbs doing it the same old way. I think the Post is doing the right thing. You've got to keep your readership one way or another."

Downie could not be reached for comment Wednesday, but Managing Editor Phil Bennett said the key changes would include more Web involvement and a likely change in approach for feature writing and local coverage.

"Examining the role of feature writing and general assignment reporting to make sure it is linked up with issues that are priorities," Bennett said, citing local subjects and education. "Long-form journalism is still a top asset, but we have to see whether or not some of that should be directed toward new subjects."

Bennett had no estimates on how much staffing would be reduced or reassigned, but said no foreign bureaus or national staffing cuts had been discussed yet: "Some areas, like political coverage, we are likely to see an increase in staffing."

He also stressed that the Web site, which is already considered a leader among newspaper sites, is expected to play even more of a role in every reporter's work. "I think you are going to see more local news and local subjects on the Web," he said. "Eventually, every journalist who works at the paper will be thinking in [Web reporting] terms and see that it is part of their job."

For Alan Cooperman, an eight-year reporter, faith in the editors and the paper makes the changes easier to take. "It is not frightening here because there is widespread trust and goodwill we've built up over many years," he said.

Joe Strupp (jstrupp@editorandpublisher.com) is a senior editor at E&P.

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http://www.washingtonian.com/articles/mediapolitics/2652.html
Change Inside the Post: Decoding Len Downie's New Memo

By Harry Jaffe

Is Downie losing touch with reporters and editors?

This week’s memo from Washington Post executive editor Len Downie about cutting costs and redeploying newsroom resources held few surprises for reporters and editors. They chalked it up to well-known industry-wide problems: Post circulation and advertising revenues are down; the corporate side ordered Downie to cut costs.

To be sure, the Post has weathered the storm faced by most newsrooms better than any other major paper, but Downie’s memo portended big changes.

It wasn’t what the executive editor said but the way he imparted the information that irked some of the staff. Downie’s language was confusing; he relied on jargon; he seemed to be talking around reporters rather than to them. Downie is widely respected at the paper, but in the view of many Posties, he is losing touch with reporters and editors. Many remember the last general meeting as a low point. Downie’s talk was met with silence and left the staff demoralized.

This week’s memo further widened the gap between Downie and some of his his troops. Downie said this moment “reminds me of my early days in the newsroom, when Ben Bradlee began boldly transforming the paper in the 1970s and 1980s.” But where Bradlee led his reporters up the hill to get “holy shit” stories and created signature sections such as Style, Downie is seen as leading a strategic retreat.

Deciphering the memo’s precise meaning became a parlor game inside the newsroom. “It could have been broadcast on Radio Free Romania,” said one writer.

In the spirit of decoding a document designed in the Kremlin, here’s an annotated version:

“We have much more to do to maximize readership of the printed newspaper, build audience on the Web site and further reduce costs in the newsroom.”

Meaning: We have no clue as to why we are losing readers.

“We must produce high quality, compelling journalism and carry out our public service mission while adjusting our cost structure to shifting advertising revenues.”

Meaning: Ad revenues are plummeting, and the cost of labor and newsprint keeps rising. Fewer reporters will have to produce more copy.

“We are not just cutting costs.”

Meaning: We are cutting everything, from story length to the number of reporters who can roam around on general assignment.

“We are redirecting newsroom staff and resources to our highest priority journalism in print and on the Web.”

Meaning: Bye-bye narrative journalism of the kind championed by former managing editor Steve Coll and veteran feature editor Mary Hadar.

“We are moving reporters and editors within and among staffs to accomplish this.”

Meaning: Welcome to the Loudoun County bureau.

“In the process, we will continue to shrink the newsroom staff through attrition, as low-priority positions become vacant.”

Meaning: Phew, no layoffs or buyouts on the horizon, like the ones that just cost the newsroom nearly 80 experienced journalists.

“We also are tightening up the paper’s news hole . . . .”

Meaning: We hope that less information will make the paper more digestible—at the risk of dumbing down the news.

“The revamped Outlook section is an example of the improvements we are seeking.”

Meaning: Outlook editor Susan Glasser has a strong shot at becoming the next Assistant Managing Editor for National News.

“We will take a new approach to story length, which remains an important challenge, despite the progress already made in some parts of the paper.”

Meaning: Stories will be much shorter. Style editors have already put out a memo this week ordering major cuts in length. For instance, 60-inch stories should be 40 to 45 inches.

“We will have another newsroom staff meeting on Thursday, December 14 to tell you more about what we are doing and answer your questions.”

Meaning: Oops—the meeting was postponed because the room was taken that day, according to a second memo from Downie.

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