News-Record.com

Specifically, look for:

* More investigative reporting. Government, as it spends our tax money
and establishes rules that affect the citizenry, needs a skeptical eye
cast in its direction. We take this civic responsibility seriously. Last year, we ratcheted up our "watchdog" efforts with stories on school discipline, crack in the Triad and Project Homestead. Expect more.

* Smarter writing. There are many ways to tell stories -- narratives,
serials, verbatim interviews, personal columns, for instance -- and we
will use more of them more often.

* More story choices. We'll continue to cover the major news of the
world, but expect to read more stories about the environment, health and fitness, technology, jobs, family and things to do around the region.

* Different names, faces and voices. Thousands of people contribute great things to the community, through their actions and their ideas. As I described last week, we will write more about people and places you know, and we'll ask you to contribute to our pages more.

* Better design. Expect shorter stories, more and larger photos, more
charts, graphics and maps to help you understand stories, and a paper
that is easier to find what you're interested in.

* Improved Web presence. I'll write more about this in the coming weeks. Expect a more dynamic Web site with content produced both by us and by you. For more information on what we're trying to accomplish visit The Editor's Log. (Well, you already are.)

Why are we thinking young?

First, we want more readers between the ages of, say, 18 and 35. They
are the decision makers of today and tomorrow. They are voters and participants in democracy, and many of them aren't newspaper readers. We want them for the health of our business; we need them for the health of the community.

Second, the Triad is remaking itself into a vibrant region. FedEx, Citi Cards and Dell are replacing the old-line manufacturing industries. Downtown Greensboro is alive with people and businesses. Students from seven major colleges and university live in Guilford County. Add Elon, Wake Forest, Winston-Salem State and the surrounding community colleges, and that's a huge creative population the newspaper should serve.

Third, the newspaper can't fully mirror the entire community without the faces, voices and stories of Generation X and Y. The values of those generations -- hard work, integrity, family, service -- aren't different from those of the Greatest Generation.

I anticipate that "thinking young" will be misunderstood by some to mean "dumbing down." My experience is that everyone, no matter the age, is insulted by the suggestion that they don't care about "serious" news. We will not leave our journalistic moorings and trivialize the paper. Our reporting will remain fair, fearless and truthful. Our news judgment will be straight forward.

In truth, we plan to do a better job covering pop culture, but there's
no need for us to place the exploits of, say, Britney Spears and Paris
Hilton on the front page. In this celebrity-saturated age, you have
plenty of other places to find out about that "news."

Studies of readership show that the characteristics that attract
"younger" readers -- innovative content, quicker reads, more
photographs, and greater interaction between the paper and the public -- are appreciated by traditional newspaper readers, too.

This transformation is a marathon. We have teams of journalists
brainstorming ideas to improve the paper. We certainly haven't thought
of everything yet. If you have ideas, let us hear from you.