Editor&Publisher: Editor Leonard Downie Announces Major Shifts at Washington Post

[DeepModem Mom]

Downie Announces Major Shifts at 'Wash Post'
By E&P Staff
Published: November 14, 2006

NEW YORK -- In a surprising memo to staffers today, Leonard Downie, Jr., executive editor, announced several general and specific shakeups "to maximize readership of the printed newspaper, build audience on the Web site and further reduce costs in the newsroom."
This includes a plan to "shrink" the newsroom. "tightening up the paper's news hole," cracking down on story length and moving reporters and editors "within and among staffs." The Post is now suffering from regular circulation declines.

Downie called it nothing less than an "opportunity to transform journalism for a new era." He added that 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."

In explaining the bold plan, Downie wrote: "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....

http://www.editorandpublisher.com/eandp/news/article_display.jsp?vnu_content_id=1003382121

[truthisfreedom]

1. it's a post-11/7 world and you can't have a pre 11/7 mentality. everything changed on 11/7.

of course, some people might refer to it as "reality."

bwahahahahahaaaa!

[LiberalHeart]

2. I'd like to know what he means when he says he's cracking down on story length...

If that means he's going to make stories shorter, it's dumb. Ad sales on the Web are partially determined by the length of time people spend on a site, so the longer the story the better if they want to haul in ad dollars.

[Va Lefty]

3. I agree, if I want short, dumbed down stories I'll read USA Today

[KittyWampus]

12. It's today's corporate model. Buy a business then dissemble it and reduce quality of products

Coporations are buying up media and news outlets and then using them as a revenue source while investing as little as possible in what they produce.

Hence the use of pre-packaged 'news' from Rove and RNC.

[IthinkThereforeIAM]

18. Bingo...

... that was my first thought! :toast:

[CBHagman]

19. They've already done that with cultural coverage.

I've been a Post subscriber for a decade and a half and have watched as they've introduced mini-reviews or, worse yet, grids to cover new movies, books, DVDs, etc. The Sunday Source, for example, has a new release grid that is sliced up into categories "sample grab," "what you'll love," "what you won't," etc. There are also no full-length movie reviews in the Weekend section, just edited-down mini-reviews from Style.

On top of that, they have offered buyout packages to many of their long-term columnists and reporters. Fortunately they haven't shed everyone who does a decent job -- I'm grateful for the presence of many on the international reporting team, Tim Page on classical music reviews, etc. -- but the general trend worries me.

They also give out a free Cliff Notes version of the Post called Express, and I get the impression that people who spend $7.00 on their morning coffee are only too happy to get a dumbed-down freebie paper to take with them on the Metro.

[tech3149]

4. You just can't fix stupid

Can't sell enough news? Cut the budget and "shrink" the newsroom to provide even less worthwile news.

I'm sure that's gonna work out well!

[grasswire]

5. they'd better not dump Dan Froomkin

I suspect his readership is very high, though, and his readers are very loyal.

[Captain Hilts]

14. He's great. But don't assume readership is high. Demographics of online reading...

can be dodgy. The Post webpage does not update often, so people don't cruise it like the NYT. And his column is sometimes hard to find.

He's great.

[grasswire]

20. I'm assuming from the level of interest he generates with his...

...regularly scheduled chat plus the responses to him on site.

Yes, they made his column harder for browsers to find but they also have been featuring the link regularly on the larger WaPo politics page.

[flordehinojos]

6. years ago newspapers readership level had gone down to about a 6th or 7th grade level.

with the FOLLOWSHIP of smirky and his cowboy gun strutting mentality, readership may have gone down ever so more, or even further down a notch or two.

plus ... the economy is so good these days people are cutting cost everywhere they can--including the buying of newspapers.

i wonder what would news reported in entirely political toons would be like.

[Captain Hilts]

15. 7th or 8th grade reading level is more than adequate for a newspaper.

Think about your reading skills in 8th grade. Your vocabulary improves at this point, but not your reading skills.

[Rageneau]

7. The first head to roll should be Downie's.

His rightwing editorial policy and his tinfoil, cuckoo-bananas, knee-jerk reaction to all things Clinton could not have done much to increase his readership, and certainly did nothing at all to improve this once-noble paper's reputation.

[Captain Hilts]

16. Get rid of half the Harvard grads running/writing on the Op-Ed page.

If I want to read the Harvard Crimson, I'll subscribe to the Crimson.

[DoYouEverWonder]

8. Maybe if the WP started doing real investigative journalism again

they wouldn't have to scrap the bottom to increase their numbers.

As long as they continue to parrot GOP talking points, who needs them?

[Captain Hilts]

17. They actually did some excellent stuff in the lead up to the war...on page 23.

The Post reporters did their jobs. It's the front page, the Omsbudsman and the Op-Ed page that fail them.

[Habibi]

9. Uh,

:wtf: does "tightening up the paper's news hole" mean?

[DeepModem Mom]

10. Don't know, but here's the example given --

"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...."

[KittyWampus]

11. "tightening up the paper's news hole" What a choice of words- LOL!

[grasswire]

21. ha, that is funny. (eom)

[Captain Hilts]

13. Get rid of the Omsbudsman. What an idiot. nt