Change is a constant in the news industry. If you’ve been reading the Times-Union for any amount of time, you already know this.
While some changes are driven by the economic realities of our business, most are in response to the evolution in how the public consumes news and information and, therefore, what our readers need and expect from us.
If you’re a print subscriber, I’d venture to guess that you’re a creature of habit. And if you’ve made a habit of sitting down each morning with that day’s edition of the Times-Union, we’re genuinely grateful.
It’s the longstanding financial support from our loyal subscribers that gives us the ability to produce our unique journalism that’s essential to our community.
Invariably, when we make changes, we hear from you, the readers. For each person who considers it an improvement, there’s another who preferred things the way they were.
Changes in recent years range from small to significant. We reduced the number of days we have an opinion page, but we offset that by bringing back the Reason section on Sundays, giving more room for reader-submitted guest columns to allow more community members to debate the issues of the day. We replaced the TV grid with a What to Watch feature highlighting daily viewing options as more people have cut the cord on cable and linear TV in favor of streaming. We’ve changed the provider of our crossword puzzles, and we swapped advice columnists from Dear Annie to Dear Abby.
A change you’ll notice beginning with next Sunday’s edition is the elimination of the Week in Review stock market graphic compiled by The Associated Press. Like the daily stock market graphic that was discontinued a couple of years ago, that contains information that’s widely available elsewhere and is already dated by the time the paper reaches your doorstep (or the end of your driveway, the bush in your front yard, or wherever it lands that day).
Losing this feature frees up space that’s better used to bring you unique stories from Times-Union journalists and our colleagues across the USA TODAY Network.
The days of the newspaper being all things to all people are in the past. The box scores from the previous night’s ballgames aren’t coming back. The TV grid and stock listings probably aren’t, either.
But no matter the circumstances, we’re committed to fulfilling our journalistic mission and our obligation to the community.
We’ll continue to be a watchdog. We’ll hold the powerful to account. We’ll educate our readers on issues to ensure we have the informed citizenry that’s essential to a functioning democracy.
We’ll see that the rights of the minority are respected by the governing majority, and ensure the public is given due access to their government.
We’ll celebrate the community’s successes, mourn its tragedies, and tell the stories of the people, places and institutions that give Northeast Florida its character.
And I can promise you one thing: That’s something that will never change.
Paul Runnestrand is the executive editor of the Florida Times-Union. He may be reached at [email protected].
