An old friend changes — for the good!
Bert Roughton, Managing editor
[Thanks for all the feedback. Commenting on this post is now closed. See what others said by scrolling to the end of the post.]
When I was a kid, I used to awaken before dawn and roll copies of the Dallas Morning News into tight batons that would fit into the white canvas saddlebags that draped across the frame of my Stingray bike. Then I peddled through my still dark neighborhood, admiring my own skill at tossing the papers to the edges if not the surfaces of porches, which were left lit by thoughtful subscribers eager to improve my aim.
The daily paper made a satisfying slap on the concrete, often the only sound I could hear at that time of day.
It was different for the Sunday paper, with all its heft and mass. It was too big to throw, so I had to carry each one like a newborn to the doorstep. And I tended to deliver it late because I would become lost in turning its pages, its pictures and stories carrying me away.
Forty years later, the paper still mesmerizes. But for reasons we all know all too well, it’s time for a change. And for a year and a half, we’ve been working to rethink the newspaper – Sunday in particular – with a clear memory of what it has always been mixed with a fresh vision of what it needs to be now. This vision was shaped by hundreds of readers who love their paper but wanted it to be easier to maneuver and navigate. As far as I know, no newspaper has done more to understand what readers want and expect. It was eye opening and enriching.
Next week, you’ll see what we came up with.
Oddly, the first thing you may notice is that there’s nothing radical. It’s an update not a tear down and rebuild. Had we not listened to you, we might have changed a lot more. Thankfully, we paid attention.
You told us you wanted a newsy and efficient daily newspaper with a modest and intelligent look. You wanted a Sunday newspaper that rewarded your time by being relaxing, informative and engaging.
We heard all that. In fact, after learning so much about what you wanted, we couldn’t resist making some changes months ago.
You wanted more stories on the front page and section fronts. We heard that and have increased the story count, on Sunday in particular. A year ago, it wasn’t unusual to produce a Sunday paper with three real stories on the front page. Now we shoot for at least five.
You said you wanted world and national news but metro Atlanta mattered most. So, we refocused our writers and editors on local stories and issues. We also assigned reporters and editors to think solely about producing smart exclusive stuff for the Sunday newspaper. We’d never done that before, and it has made a huge difference in the quality and selection of stories we can offer each Sunday.
You said you wanted us to be watchdogs, to hold people in positions of authority accountable for how they spend your money and serve your needs. We’ve substantially increased the number of reporters looking for waste and incompetence in local and state governments. If you haven’t noticed, the bureaucrats and politicians have.
Meanhile, we’ve reorganized and redesigned the paper to make it easier to find what you want and read what you find.
And while doing all this, we’ve taken a hard look at ourselves as journalists. You told us you like having a newsroom full of smart, capable reporters and editors working on your behalf. But you want us to be better at what we do. We’ve redoubled our efforts to get the basics right, to make our stories complete and to represent varied and opposing views on important issues.
We’ve also embraced the idea that our job is to understand our readers and to present news that matters to you. I pledge to you that we will work as hard as we can to help improve the communities where you live and raise your families – the same communities where we live and raise our families. Nothing can do this work as well as a newspaper.
That early morning paper route led me to a 30-year career as a newspaper man – almost all of that time with The Atlanta Journal-Constitution. After all those years and all the amazing things that have happened in Atlanta since I started working a beat here, I’m still transported by the pictures and words. On Tuesday and Sunday, I’ll be getting up early to head to the end of my driveway with great expectations.
I hope you’ll join me.
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90 comments Add your comment
Gwen Margaritondo
April 26th, 2009
7:52 am
Hello,
This question may not be in your “area” but customer service is no help either. I have decided not to renew my subscription because the cost is about double what it would be for a new subscriber. This is not fair to loyal customers. Customer service sent me emails TWICE that said someone would be in touch with me within a couple of days. I would like to renew but only at the best cost available. Or I atleast want someone in management to know why I’m not renewing. Thanks for your attention. Gwen Margaritondo
Here’s the most recent email:
From: AJC Customer Care
To: nckgwn@att.net
Subject: Re: Why I’m not renewing [#10070083]
Date: Thursday, April 16, 2009 9:14:35 AM
Thank you for contacting The Atlanta Journal-Constitution.
We apologize for the delay in response. However, we have forwarded your
information to the correct department for discounting the paper. A
representative will contact you within 1-2 business days.
Please feel free to contact our Customer Care Department at 404.522.4141 if you require additional assistance in the future.
Thank you again for your e-mail to The Atlanta Journal-Constitution.
Rodney Moore
The Atlanta Journal-Constitution
Operations Representative
Sara Brown
April 26th, 2009
7:55 am
Such a shame that your caring for readers does not extend to Rabun County. We, too, appreciate and enjoy a GOOD paper that presents local,state, national and international news. I suppose to be adaptable is good, but as an advanced senior citizen, a 30 year Yankee implant to Georgia, and a dedicated reader of the AJC (even online)I miss reading the paper and enjoying my coffee at the breakfast table!
Just my comment.
Chip Folendore
April 26th, 2009
7:59 am
This is first Sunday in 20+ years without a Sunday Paper.
I have to take attitude that the AJC has ceased to exist.
What a terrible thing for a paper which once said it covers Dixie like the due to cover hardly anywhere now.
Seldon Wright
April 26th, 2009
8:14 am
I’m glad tgo see that some”old line” journalists are doing it better. TARFI theres always room for improvement. Way to go! It woud be too big a commute to get your, I;m in Clarkston Mich! Maybe i can get it once in a while on the net. Just thought I’d give you a friendly ‘thumbs up’ Writing can be such a challenge, even my own poor blog, (here goes the plug) i say this for now @ blogstream. ideas come free, or cheap. Doing it, takes the other definition of ‘work’. Have a good day.
Bert Roughton, managing editor
April 26th, 2009
8:31 am
Sara, Chip:
The toughest thing for me has been the awful fact that we’ve had to reduce the numbers of counties in which we circulate. It’s one thing for people to leave us, it’s another to take the paper away from loyal readers. I have a vacation house in a county that used to get the AJC, and it kills me when I go to the convenience store and no longer see it in the rack. But our business realities wouldn’t let us continue delivering to such a wide area. At one point, we estimated that it was costing us $5 per newspaper to deliver it to some parts of the state. I hate it, but we really didn’t have a choice. Let’s hope for better times.
In the meantime, we do offer an online version of the newspaper that offers something at lease closer to the experience of reading the paper – as close as you can get without the pleasure of the actual paper. Check it out at ajcprint.com. I’d love to know what you think.
Gwen, I’ll see what I can do for you.
Samuel Adams
April 26th, 2009
8:33 am
We live in rural south Georgia. The paper is no longer delivered on a daily basis down here. Any way your coverage area will be increased?
Since we can only get the paper “ONLINE”, are you going to charge for this service? THANKS AND
LONG LIVE THE AJC
Carol
April 26th, 2009
8:51 am
I love the AJC, but sadly it is no longer available here in the mountains. Please, as you re-design your online version, remember us up here. I have been reaing the daily newspaper since I was 5 years old, and it is a major disappointment to live out my golden years in an area where no major newspaper is available.
Rosita
April 26th, 2009
8:53 am
A managing editor who can’t spell the word for a heavy fabric called canvas, and a copy desk that didn’t catch it? Ay-yi-yi
Jack Sartain
April 26th, 2009
8:57 am
Bert – the changes you portend are good over all. My beef is with the
ON LINE paper. The DeKalb Section is always thin and the pictures and stories stay up forever – to wit the Marine Corps School and its headline. And, the slant to the political left has left me cold. Objectiviy has left the building! AJC paper is losing out to the weekly fare as far as news goes. And, their reporters and editors are really accessible. One more thing – your DeKalb beat guy seems not to gather the facts before he submits his stuff and the editor doesn.t know so misleading and untrue stories get going. I am a native ATlantan and a Grady baby and know what the AJC used to be – BETTER!
Dave
April 26th, 2009
9:12 am
I moved to Banks County from Phoenix, a culture shock to say the least. The AJC was the closest thing to my Arizona Republic. Now the AJC is gone. The online version is just not the same. Why is it that rural Georgia is always the areas left out while metro areas prosper?
How long will it be before AJC begins to charge for the online version?
Ena Brooks
April 26th, 2009
9:16 am
A fresh face must equal a fresh content.
What is a blue paper doing in a red state? When is Cynthia Tucker leaving? and Mike Luckovich’s cartoons are a detriment to our society.
Look, I stopped reading your paper when I noticed that at the end of my read I was thouroughly pissed off. The counter to this is the , Wall Street Journal, I read and read and I get my news.
So a fresh face MUST BE followed by a fresh, factual, unopinionated, politically unbiased content. Can you do that? Look at Page A3 today, 3 ways to build a more efficient newspaper, where is the fresh content? Uou think this is just about efficiency?
The most important news this week has been the Interrogation tactics, where is the other side? You think the LA Times is a reliable source rather than a propaganda machine? You are supposed to give us the facts so we can be informed and make up our own minds. Rest my case.
Bert Roughton, managing editor
April 26th, 2009
9:19 am
Rosita: Just blame the managing editor – the copy desk never saw my little essay. It reminds me again of how important it is to be edited – even if you’re an editor. It’s also cool that you can fix it online and not feel miserable that you have printed a quarter million copies with a stupid typo. Please read the newspaper as carefully and email me when we let something by.
To folks losing the printed edition, please take a look at ajcprint.com and give me your thoughts.
Jack: I’m happy to discuss the issue of bias, but it really helps me to discuss a specific case. I’m not sure I agree with you that the newspaper used to be better – I know, I was here. But I will say that my focus at the moment is making Monday’s newspaper as good as I can make it and then moving on to Tuesday.
Bert Roughton, managing editor
April 26th, 2009
9:29 am
Ena: Good morning. I appreciate that you have rested your case, but I must ask, did you read the newspaper’s coverage? Was there something in that coverage that suggested a bias? I’m sorry that you dislike the work of Cynthia and Mike, but many, many readers love them. Our editorial pages carry a variety of opinions in a pretty balanced way. But balanced does mean that you represent opposing views. Our new columnist Kyle Wingfield, who comes from the Wall Street Journal, is likely to keep our readers on the left feeling challenged quite often.
PhilDavis
April 26th, 2009
9:34 am
Don’t forget the old who, what, when, where, why. “Pulitzer oratory” has become so bad that one routinely has to read to the final paragraphs buried deep within to discover the reason its news.
Jack Sartain
April 26th, 2009
9:36 am
Bert: Ena has it! Jack
Rosita
April 26th, 2009
9:38 am
Bert, I really appreciate your responsible attitude toward errors. That’s part of the solution. But I must ask, isn’t involving the copy desk also part? That seems to be a major flaw with the online edition: writers rush their copy to the site without anyone proofing it. It may seem small to non-journalists, but journalists (I’m one, too) know that accuracy is an essential component of reportorial excellence. Good luck
Bert Roughton, managing editor
April 26th, 2009
9:41 am
Phil: Interesting that you raise this point. It became clear to us as we spoke to readers last year that they really, really wanted is to boil things down and cut to the chase. We heard them and are editing our stories to get as much to the top as possible – particularly with the daily – and to write with as much brevity and clarity as possible. This doesn’t mean that we don’t have greater ambitions for stories that merit it, but it does mean that we are editing just about everything with a view to provide you the most news we can in the time you have for us.
Jack Sartain
April 26th, 2009
9:42 am
Bert: Your response did not include my impression about the “boney”( i.e. no meat) DeKalb Section – put someone on that!
Jack Sartain
April 26th, 2009
9:44 am
Bert – howzabout putting some people in the DeKalb Bureau – they seem to come to work once a week measured by what the online section contains. By the way the Marine Corps school stuff is STILL up!.
Bert Roughton, managing editor
April 26th, 2009
9:46 am
Rosita: No one values copy editing more than I. (After allowing a typo in my blog in full view of people who can fire me, I have a fresh appreciation.) Unlike my blog piece, everything that goes in the newspaper is edited by experienced editors. We’ve had a few structural changes that have disrupted the editing process some, but we have not lowered our standards or decided to tolerate errors.
jekyllover
April 26th, 2009
9:48 am
The AJC has been our newspaper for over 40 years but now that you’re excluding Clarke County from your delivery area we’re switching to the New York Times. We’ll miss you but the times are a-changing and we can change with them. Stay intelligent and don’t be taken in with the majority of our backward politicians in this state of Georgia. Report the facts not the biases except to critique the biases.
Sayonara!
Jack Sartain
April 26th, 2009
9:49 am
Bert: final note and I’m off to choir – newspapers are drying up, closing down and bankrupting all around the country – why’s that?
Bert Roughton, managing editor
April 26th, 2009
9:50 am
Jack: My first job at the AJC was covering the DeKalb County Commission and its, uh, colorful chairman, Manuel Maloof. DeKalb is very important to me personally, and it’s key to our strategy of focusing on the core counties. I promise I’ll look at our coverage and do the best I can with the resources we have.
MSH
April 26th, 2009
10:00 am
I’ve been a faithful reader of the AJC since it was “The Atlanta Journal” and the Constitution was a totally different paper. I actually do enjoy the ability to read the paper on-line, although I miss Sunday afternoons with the paper strewn all over the living room. From my perspective, the most unfortunate result of budget cutbacks at the AJC has been the obvious reduction in editorial review staff. The abundance and pervasiveness of grammatical errors in the writing is quite noticeable and extremely annoying. One has to wonder if the writer is making so many errors in verb tense, what else might he or she be overlooking? The ability to publish on-line gives one the ability to do so quickly, but does not relieve the writer of the responsibility to ensure the text is accurate. If you don’t have the money to hire a proper review board, at least hire people who can construct a simple sentence with the correct verb tense (or know how to use the grammar check button on the computer).
Bert Roughton, managing editor
April 26th, 2009
10:01 am
Jack: You want me to answer that as you run out the door to choir practice? Why not ask the meaning of life? A lot of factors are hurting newspapers – longterm trends in the way people consume news content, the rapid evolution of the Internet and the implications this has had on all advertising dependent media, etc. But I believe there’s a place in the media landscape for a newspaper – a printed newspaper. I don’t believe the AJC is dying – I do believe the AJC might be in serious peril if we didn’t change. A lot of that change will be evident with the redesign that you will see next week. A lot will be less obvious and has to do more with how we cover the news and invest our reporting and editing. I’m also hoping that readers won’t take us and what we do for granted. We aren’t perfect and we make mistakes, but I can’t imagine what would have happened in metro Atlanta over the 38 years I’ve lived here if someone from the AJC hadn’t been keeping an eye on things.
Bert Roughton, managing editor
April 26th, 2009
10:06 am
MSH: I solicit your help. Please let me know every time you see such a mistake. This will allow us to figure out where we have weaknesses in our systems. Email me at broughton@ajc.com, or call me at 404-526-5681. We owe it to you all – and the language – to correct this.
MSH
April 26th, 2009
10:27 am
I will be happy to do so. I reailze the English language is a living, constantly evolving entity, otherwise we’d still be speaking Latin. Schoolkids read this paper also, and should have good examples of writing set for them. This one rather jumped out at me this morning. Please let me know if I’m being overly particular: “Police say Michaels’ BMW hit the Carters’ Mercedes and then both cars cross over to incoming traffic. The Carters’ car hit Tracie Johnson’s Volkswagen. Michaels regained control of her BMW and continued on.”
bubbatech01
April 26th, 2009
10:31 am
i applaud your efforts but this paper is as left as chavez. you try to argue that the coverage isnt biased, but the constant selection of stories against republicans and the amazing lack of stories bad for dems (along with your constant endorsement of dem policital candidates) show your paper’s true intent. plus, the writing is poor. the only decent thing going on right now is bob barr’s column, because he is critical of both the left and the right and plays it straight. we all know that cynthia’s opinion is going to be pro-obama, race card, but bob really puts both parties in their place. move bob out of the opinion pages and into the editorial page and i will consider subscribing to this paper.
Ena Brooks
April 26th, 2009
10:35 am
Bert: 5 front page aricles, yes I get it. But the A Section is full of articles from the AP, LA Times, NY Times; If you have to rely on these sources for the news, then this is the sad part. These are propaganda machines Bert – clearly – So the AJC has become one of those where the same biased news keeps getting reported.
I have high hopes with the New Public Editor Ms McIntosh. Her bio sounds promising and I hope she will deliver.
and Good Morning to you too; I value freedom of the press in it’s full meaning; not a copy cat of redundant propaganda. I hope I am being very clear to get my point across to you; value your intentions and the love of your job; and my comments are to give you input to the overall problem with the AJC – loosing circulation – the content is very questionable. Respectfully, have a great day.
bubbatech01
April 26th, 2009
10:37 am
sorry, forgot to give other praise. mark bradely’s blogging during the basketball tournaments was awesome. i was at work and it was like i was there. we asked questions and he answered. even though we all know he is anti-tech, i really appreciate the extra effort he put forth during that time. i look forward to it during the bowl season and maybe nba finals. he did a great job.
maybe that is something that you should consider. whenever we see these stories in the paper, they are stale. journalists put them them and we read them. there is no interaction with the journalist. we only get the surface of what he or she was thinking and often misinterpret the writing. maybe to make the ajc a living paper, you can provide the means in which, online, we can interact with the journalist (obviously, ap stories aside). email is used now, but we dont see the conversation. you can do it where for 2 hours a day, each story will have a blog link in which the person that wrote the story can be asked questions. if people are interested in the story, it will help to drive interaction with the story. plus, you will be able to see the types of stories and manner of interaction in which the readers are most interested. you do this a little bit with the opinion blogs, but that is not news.
just a thought.
Bert Roughton, managing editor
April 26th, 2009
10:44 am
May I call you Bubba? I’m not really arguing about our coverage. I am asking for something more specific. My job is to see what the problem is and address it. Sometimes I feel like a doctor examining a patient who complains of having a pain without telling me exactly when or where it hurts. I also sometimes feel as if I’m hearing from a lot of people who haven’t seriously read the paper lately. That’s fine. I’m thinking of ignoring what I experienced in the 1980s and buying an American car because I think it might be the right thing to do. People and products change. So, here’s my challenge, Bubba, start reading our paper next week and for the next couple of weeks. If after that, you honestly conclude that we are a bunch of semi-literate, leftist propagandists, they you’re only out the cost of a decent bottle of wine. If you decide that we’re better than you thought, then you can make an informed decision about whether to subscribe or not.
Bert Roughton, managing editor
April 26th, 2009
10:56 am
Ena: I appreciate your support for the free press. We do have limited choices in bringing you world and national news. I believe this is a sad reality, but for perhaps different reasons. My experience tells me that you are a bit hasty in dismissing these newsgathering institutions
as propaganda machines. I’d say that in most cases, they are reputable news people trying very hard to get it right. Sometimes, we disagree with their approach and news judgment and often decide against running something they have produced. But this is the exception rather than the rule. I would find it very helpful if you would ignore the source of the story – as much as you can – and get to the details of what they are saying that strikes you as biased. That gives us something to work on and look for. Now, we may not always agree with you on what is and isn’t bias, but it really helps me to be as specific and clear as possible. We also are going after our own content to intentionally provide balance – look at the Sunday paper’s treatment of assessing Obama’s first 100 days. You can always email me at broughton@ajc.com or phone me at 404-526-5681 if you have a concern. I’d love to hear from you.
null
April 26th, 2009
10:56 am
Why do people insist on whining about certain writers? There are certain writers I don’t care for, but guess what….I DON’T READ THEM. It’s people like you that have ruined America, forcing your way on everyone. Sad.
Bert Roughton, managing editor
April 26th, 2009
10:57 am
Bubba: I like that idea.
bubbatech01
April 26th, 2009
11:00 am
also, maybe part of the newspaper can be a “follow-up” section in which the original journalist puts down some of the questions and additional informatino or thoughts other readers may find useful or interesting. further, by providing for an interaction capability, us readers can interact with each other. by acting as the forum, the AJC strengthens itself and its brand.
Bert Roughton, managing editor
April 26th, 2009
11:04 am
Bubba:
Cool!
bubbatech01
April 26th, 2009
11:06 am
bert, by the way, i did not mean to imply anything about illiteracy (i think that was another blogger). i have been reading your online version for quite sometime. i am looking forward to seeing the changes. i started reading the marietta daily journal online because i honestly was tired of only reading about how the right was corrupt (we all know its on both sides) and seeing biased coverage. hopefully, you can change things.
i am really looking forward to teh online interaction, if you start it. i would love to talk to the journalist that wrote the article of interest to me. i would also like to see what other people are asking and commenting about the story. this would be awesome for the race to the governors house.
Mitchell Gant
April 26th, 2009
11:07 am
It’s laughable to suggest that the AJC editorial page is anything other than stridently left-wing. Having one token conservative on staff (and only one–you even had to go to a writer living in England to find a replacement) says all you need to know about the leftoid tendencies of the AJC.
Here’s the thing, Bert. You could get away with having a paint-by-numbers Leftie editorial slant (and spare us the bit about editorial being seperate from “reporting”–how many people in that building didn’t vote for Obama? I doubt it’s higher than single digits) when you had a monopoly. Your monopoly is gone, and so is every conservative reader who’d had enough of being insulted and belittled by the Tuckers and Luckoviches and Bookmans of the AJC. Those people are the vast majority of your potential customers, and we’re not coming back.
You had your chance, and you blew it.
bubbatech01
April 26th, 2009
11:09 am
bert, good luck! gotta head off to church. i am excited about the changes and sincerely appreciate you listening to your audience and replying. i also like the fact that you are defending yourself, because that shows to me that you believe in what you are doing and care. maybe in 2 years we can read about how the ajc lead the newspapers into a new age. now that would be cool.
Andrew Harris
April 26th, 2009
11:15 am
OUR NEW EDITOR: “I appreciate that you have rested your case, but I must ask, did you read the newspaper’s coverage? Was there something in that coverage that suggested a bias?”
THIS IS EXACTLY THE PROBLEM. You can’t even agree that the AJC leans left. If you don’t come on here and admit that is has a leftward bias, then I will see you as another editor who doesn’t get it. When someone takes over a failing business, the first thing they need to do is figure out what the problem is so they can resolve it. If they can’t even figure out WHY it is failing, how will they succeed? Once you can accept that this paper is left leaning and that is the MAJOR change that needs to take place RIGHT NOW, then you will get the support from readers like me…the same readers who have canceled our subscription over the past 5 years.
I am encouraged on some of the other things that you are trying to accomplish, but they aren’t your main problem.
jojo
April 26th, 2009
11:19 am
Thanks for highlighting the online print edition. Today was the first day I had heard of it and I’ve been reading the ajc online for six years. While I too lament the absence of a paper here in the mountains, I am thankful that ajc.com is still free!! I began my early working days in the same manner as you and will always value the experience of reading an actual newspaper. I don’t really have a complaint or concern, just wanted to say thanks for your posture and for dealing with the harsh realities of today. Keep the newspaper going – it is one of the few things that brings light to places that need it.
Bert Roughton, managing editor
April 26th, 2009
11:26 am
Bubba: I’ll listen to readers like you day and night because you make us better. Please check us out and let me know how we’re doing.
Mitchell: While I’m pleased to give you a laugh, I’m sorry that you believe we’ve blown it. But your comment strikes me as someone who isn’t deeply familiar with our newspaper. I will offer you the same challenge, but it will require that you invest in the product a little. Next week go out and get the paper and then continue reading it through Sunday. (Heck, go out and get the Sunday paper today, it’s a fine sample of our product, if I do say so.) Repeat step one. After that, if you conclude that we are what you believe us to be, then you have risked little and perhaps gained a lot. If I’m wrong and you are basing your opinion on what you experience every day with the AJC, then help me by indentifying where we express bias. Cynthia and Mike don’t really count because they are clearly in the opinion business and we make no bones about that. Are you willing to give us a try, or are you content to just throw rocks?
Bert Roughton, managing editor
April 26th, 2009
11:33 am
Andrew: I would admit that if I believe it to be true. I believe our news pages – the area I have some influence over – provide balanced, accurate coverage. I believe our editorial pages offer a diversity of clearly marked opinion, some left, some right and much in the very gray area in the middle. The point I’m trying to make is that people often say all these things without really reading the newspaper. Read it, find examples of what you think shows bias and then let’s talk about it. I believe it’s in your interest as well as mine to have a thriving newspaper in metro Atlanta and that well-focused, specific criticism will make it better.
Bert Roughton, managing editor
April 26th, 2009
11:34 am
JoJo: It’s my pleasure to help. Bert
Cathy Hulbert
April 26th, 2009
11:34 am
Hi, Bert. I’m excited about all of the thought that has gone into this, and relieved that the watchdog role is still taken very seriously. Seeing “State of Play” last night, I was reminded that while newspapers are made up of human beings who themselves wrestle with issues of right and wrong, the urge to investigate and hold leaders accountable must be protected and strengthened in a world full of frivolous distractions. Thank you for holding firm on that! I have never doubted your determination to do so.
Cathy Hulbert
Roswell, GA
Andrew Harris
April 26th, 2009
11:37 am
No Sir, it’s in my interest to challenge a newspaper that has been an embarrassment to this city. I was looking forward to a new editor who may bring our newspaper where it should be. YOU DON’T HAVE A CHANCE IF YOU DON’T SEE THE BIAS….it’s a shame.
Piozou
April 26th, 2009
11:42 am
I continue to be mesmerized reading though the statements over the past few days how the Editors and Staff “listened to the public”. Yet, the rumbling of discontentment have been heard for years. I, for one, got tired of paying for the abuse imparted on me as a customer and reader over 3 years ago. So now, you have listened, you have changed the format, the reach of the paper has been reduced, you are adding other view point, all that for the hefty cost of numerous employees who were laid off.
Hence my question… what was the tipping point that made the AJC realize that, after years of steadfastily ignoring its constituency, listening to it had become a novel idea that, perhaps, meant the road to survival?
Jim Lake
April 26th, 2009
11:44 am
As a subscriner since 1985, with time out for some work in California, I’ve seen many changes in the AJC. My initial sunscription was to the Journal, and then I contiinued with the AJC.
I watched as the AJC swung left with Cynthia Tucker and Jay Bookman, among others and, over time still occasionally read Ms. Tucker but quickly learned to completely ignore Bookman. There was an occasional conservative opinion offered (Tuesday and Friday) but the “reader;s input” section was, by Ms. Tucker’s choice, always full of liberal, left-wing comments, most commenting favorabily on her editorials. So, it got t where I rarely read the Editorial section. Then, you began sneaking liberal thought into your “News”stories, by choice of content and stated positions by your “reporters.”
Then, you cut the number of columns of information from 7 to 6. Well,…still O.K. but it seemed that the size of print was also decreased. Now, you’re going to a “Reader’s Digest” size paper with only 5 columns! Tour Daily “Comic” section is already so small that I have a hard time reading the little six panel cartoons. You do realize that your average daily reader is not a 16 – 17 year old but people much more “seasoned” who, in many instances, already have a need for some reading magnification, don’t you?
Also, the cartoons are no longer funny, with LIO, Pearls before Swine, Brewster Rocket, Scary Gary, Non Sequitur and others. Several of those are far from funny. They fit in the “weird and Sick” criteria.
The “New” AJC reminds me of Girl Scout Cookies. It’s getting smaller, you get less content for a higher price and it appers to be less satisfying before you even taste it!
I’m going to give it “the Old College Try” for a few days. If it provides any satisfaction, I shall keep my subscription. But, if it turns out the way I think it will, I will cancel my subscription.
Bert Roughton, managing editor
April 26th, 2009
11:45 am
Cathy: I haven’t seen the movie but I hear that it has scenes that would make someone like me blubber in a public place. I have no doubt that someone soon will present us with the idea of an automated newspaper reporter – input the facts and the software would provide a clear, typo-free story. Without doubt, that would reduce the heartache. But newspapers are special, important and vulnerable places because of the people attracted to work for them, and nothing can really replace that.
Ena Brooks
April 26th, 2009
11:46 am
Bert I just sent you an email with an example with the acticle on A13 about the interrogation tactics. Classic miss labeling of the headline and miss representation to the public; and Yes, I do like the Obama 100 days in office reporting; very fair, thank you. NO I am not hesitant about dismissing the news gathering institutions as propaganda machines as I know that is what they have become; hopefully the people can force them to turn around and work for us rather than Washington DC, George Soros or Moveon.Org to name a few. Thank you.
Bert Roughton, managing editor
April 26th, 2009
11:50 am
Jim:
Remember, a lot of the cuts in size, etc., are in response to the realities of the business and lousy economy, not because we’re eager to cut back. Also, if the paper turns out the way you worry it will, I might cancel my subscription, too.
Bert
Bert Roughton, managing editor
April 26th, 2009
11:58 am
Piozou: That’s an interesting question. I’m not sure there was a tipping point per se. We have seen the obvious for some time – that readers were moving away from the printed newspaper and that it was becoming increasingly difficult for us to continue as a profit-making business without making some important changes. We decided that it was essential to focus the newspaper on serving readers who are likely to stay with us. It may sound ridiculously simple, but we decided a few years ago to go after people who like newspapers and to redesign our newspaper to appeal to them. Rocket science, right?
Bert Roughton, managing editor
April 26th, 2009
12:07 pm
All: It’s too pretty a day for us to be stuck in front of these computer screens, so I’m going to go out for a while. I’m heading to the Inman Park festival but will return later to continue. Go ahead and post comments about what we’ve been discussing so far and anything else – so long as it’s related to the newspaper. If you see me at the festival, I’d be happy to continue the conversation. The very pretty yet patient woman with me will be my wife. Her name is Melinda, and she is the newspaper’s toughest critic.
3.14
April 26th, 2009
12:08 pm
I have serious concerns about the way the publisher has quietly changed the constellation of the editorial board. Gone are Tucker, Bookman, and Downey….replaced with, hmmmm….the publisher. Are there other newspapers that allow the publisher to participate on the editorial board? It seems non-transparent and suspect to me.
P.S. Good luck, Bert. You’re a lot more fun that the other AJC conversation folks!!
MIkeS
April 26th, 2009
12:27 pm
Bert, You are one brave dude to field all these accusations about “bias”. Most people get their national and world news from sources that agree with their own bias on cable, radio, or the net. They then come to the AJC to find out what is happening in Georgia and are outraged that you are not FOX News or MSNBC -”shocking it is how biased you are! “(YODA quote) . Bias has become a code word for “you don’t report what I want to hear”, regardless of what is news. Stay strong Bert
Terri Evans
April 26th, 2009
12:29 pm
I must say that I marvel at some of these comments that suggest an AJC left-leaning bias. How can this be said of a newspaper that actually gives Bob Barr a voice? I’d prefer to see his 2nd amendment promotion and his secession support of Texas packed off to, well… Texas.
Lee Leslie
April 26th, 2009
12:50 pm
Happy to know that your new look will keep opinion, left and right, on the editorial pages so those who want to keep up with the news, but are intolerant of different viewpoints, can just skip those pages.
Personally, I think you’ve done an incredible job minimizing coverage of the poverty, ignorance and inequity that is ubiquitous to our city, state and region. But when I want even less, I can always just toss the AJC aside and switch on your sister Cox radio station for the balance of Neal Boortz.
ZachsMom
April 26th, 2009
12:53 pm
As another reader who no longer gets the paper in habersham county, i wanted to say that one on the things that i miss the most is the ads that came in the paper. Our family would read the paper on sunday mornings after church and then plan a trip into Gainesville or Buford to go shopping. I hope the businesses realize how much they are losing because of the cut backs.
ZachsMom
April 26th, 2009
12:57 pm
P.S. Went to go look at ajcprint.com—–thought it was pretty lame and a REALLY POOR SUBSTITUTE for a newspaper.
Cliff Biggers
April 26th, 2009
1:01 pm
Why do you not offer paid subscribers to the AJC free access to ajcprint.com as well? On those all-too-frequent days when my paper doesn’t arrive or arrives late or arrives wet or is missing sections, it would be most helpful to be able to read the paper online rather than wait for a possible redelivery. This access should be free to all paid newspaper subscribers.
Chip Folendore
April 26th, 2009
1:01 pm
Online version is poor substitute. I will read articles here and there but no interest in reading whole paper online. You have lost loyal subscriber for good.
bryan c
April 26th, 2009
1:14 pm
Enter your comments here
Peaches
April 26th, 2009
1:25 pm
Bert,
In the beginning of the “new way” of the AJC I was very hopeful. I heard the admissions that the AJC had to be more careful about being sure that its stories were not ideologically biased. The next day, the AJC published an article about stem cell use that might as well have been a promo for a pro stem cell position. It was simply advocacy journalism. There was not even the barest aknowledgement of another point of view other than a dismissive wave. My hopes for the AJC evaporated as a realized that the writer was either clueless or dishonest.
Now you ask for a trial. You ask for us to come and see, judge for ourselves. Bert, we will. One and only one more time.
Editor
April 26th, 2009
1:28 pm
From the on line edition right now…
Napilotano said at a White House news conference Sunday that the emergency declaration is standard operating procedure—one was recently declare for the inauguration and for flooding.
lost in Athens
April 26th, 2009
1:42 pm
Okay, so my AJC is going to be unavailable to me in printed version for the first time in my 50 years of living. Fine, I’ve been reading the online version as I travel around the world for the last few years, anyway. My question is: Do I need to cancel my subscription out here in Athens, or will it be automatically canceled when delivery stops to this far flung outpost of liberalism in an otherwise conservative state?
Samuel Sapp
April 26th, 2009
1:47 pm
No more AJC in Macon . I was able to buy a Sunday New York Times . It was $ 5.00 !!
Reg
April 26th, 2009
1:58 pm
Bert,
This is the best explanation I’ve gotten thus far. We appreciate your honesty.
I’m a big sports fan. In the past year or so, I’ve watched that section shrink and shrink. I’ve watched a lot of your good people — Barnhardt, D’Allesio, Michelle Hiskey — leave. Will the sports section continue to be smaller?
Is sports just no longer a priority, even though UGA is an hour away?
Keith
April 26th, 2009
2:12 pm
Home delivery will soon be a thing of the past everywhere just like the milkman. I’m guessing three years tops.
Carter is a Fool
April 26th, 2009
2:16 pm
The editorial board needs to balanced and you have not even admitted that this a problem. You have Thinking Right (now retired) vs. Cynthia (In Charge), and Bookman with the wild leftist cartoons of Toonboy. This does not represent the values of your readers. Well it might now that you do not deliver to the outlying areas.
All I ask for if you have two from the left, you have two from the right. I also ask that you have a cartoonist to balance the leftist lunyluko.
This paper is a sad reflection of the once noble paper that covered Dixie like the Dew.
It is not too late to fix it, but you have to admit there is a problem and look to balance your views instead of leaning left and ignoring the problem. The problems faced by Newspapers are not just fixed by just looking to find balance. Technology and the marketplace are putting outside pressure on this business, but you should not make it worse by ignoring your internal problems and continuing to tick off the readers.
jen
April 26th, 2009
2:46 pm
Can’ wait until you quit delivering in my community, as the deliverer wakes me up at 5 am with a blaring radio. I have called twice to ask that this stop to no avail. As for the paper, it is another sad victim of the internet and it’s poor quality will not help save it.
Rex T.
April 26th, 2009
3:06 pm
You publish in a state where Republicans hold the governorship and comfortable majorities in both chambers, yet you haven’t endorsed any but Democrats for president or governor since … Eisenhower?
And then you feign confusion when confronted with your famous liberal bias — while claiming to look for ways to better serve Georgia readers?
Enjoy your coming insolvency.
Mike
April 26th, 2009
3:20 pm
“There are certain writers I don’t care for, but guess what….I DON’T READ THEM”
Right and if the bulk of the writing is from writers I don’t care for, I DON”T BUY THE PAPER.
The problem is that the AJC is writing for a San Fransisco audience, but they are serving a red state. Frankly, I ended my subscription because I was tired of being demonized for not sharing the narrow views of Tucker, Bookman Luckovich and the rest of the editorial board. You folks refuse to acknowledge the obvious bias of the paper, which is fine, but I don’t have to buy it and I don’t.
Roger D Smart, PO1, USN, Retired
April 26th, 2009
3:34 pm
My question to any AJC writer/reporter is this: Do you have a military writer on staff? If not, you certainly need one badly. I can’t even give you a story or a report on the tribulations of my agenda. i am requesting you get a military reporter with the military in mind.
Mark
April 26th, 2009
3:47 pm
Lots and lots of bitter people out there! It’s attitudes like that keeping our country from moving forward. That and big business, big government and wall street having lost all credibility, all trust and all sympathy through selfish, greedy deeds of their own. In the middle of all of that…. God Bless the local newspaper! But, one thing, on the Sunday Jumble, can you print the answer upside down like you do the rest of the week, so I don’t see it when I turn the pages looking for the puzzle!?
Billy Howard
April 26th, 2009
3:54 pm
I’ve seen this kind of thing before, where the guy at the fair sits above the big tub of water while slackers throw baseballs at a target, hoping to knock him in. Well, you’re still sitting there and you’re not wet. Good work, maybe you should try your hand at mediating that thing in the mid-east, it couldn’t much harder.
B Unker
April 26th, 2009
4:10 pm
AJC has seen it’s best days. You have taken away the paper from the people that enjoy reading it the most SENIORS. AJC has no respect for people or staff. You have allowed a reckless news staff, a reckless staff of higher ups destroy this company. When I see your building it looks so pitiful. What happen to the joy and pride of the AJC. New reporters, new writers, new staff, new whatever nothing will save the AJC. New York Times is much better than AJC. Your paper only cares about the wealthy people of the south. Go ahead and consider AJC out of business it will happen it’s only a matter of time. This newspaper business is not the same and the so call improvements you are making will not last. Nobody likes the paper you guys product. NOBODY!!!!!!!!!!! Accept and move on. Maybe a new media will come to Atlanta and show AJC what it takes to stay in business. You must be fair to all people.AJC needs to understand fairness to ALL.
Roger
April 26th, 2009
4:13 pm
I hasve been reading the daily newspaper since I was old enough to sit with my father every morning and talk about one article in each section. I still read the print daily but if the AJC wants to look for the decline in subscriptions it needs to look inward at itself. My paper does not arrive till after 830am which is entirely toooo late for an am delivery and half the time it is nowhere near my door. I live in a building and i assume I am the only one who gets a paper on my floor and the delivery person when the elevator door opens leans out and “chucks” down the hall towards my door. So am am ready to cancel my subscription as well and just pick up a copy when I can…. it is a shame that you have lost focus on the Customer.
Cathy Hulbert
April 26th, 2009
4:16 pm
Bert,
About the movie: State of Play — yes, it touched the ever-present journalist’s heart in me because there was so much heart in the movie. The characters were dealing with real corruption in politics, the realities of enw ownership and real challenges in shifting from paper to on-line reporting. It was a brilliant snapshot of where we are. And while it is so easy to sit back and criticize journalists, if you haven’t walked a mile in a reporter’s shoes, your insights are limited.
caroline
April 26th, 2009
4:29 pm
I’m also lost in Athens. I’ve been a reader and subscriber for a couple of decades, and I’m unable to understand this decision to cut us off. The AJC has a printing plant in Gwinnett County, for pete’s sake! Is this just another bad business decision in the wake of so many others? I hope for the AJC’s sake not, although I must say I wonder how the top people there are still employed. Kind of like the banking industry, I guess.
And as for the alleged left bias of the editorial pages, I feel sure that if you did a rigorous, unbiased analysis of the editorial pages over several months or years, you’d find a strong conservative slant. It’s Bob Barr, Charles Krauthammer and Wooten all the time.
Bert Roughton, managing editor
April 26th, 2009
4:32 pm
I’m back from the festival – it was super – let me catch up.
Matthew Cone
April 26th, 2009
4:37 pm
Bert,
I think it’s admirable how you’re responding to the veiled attacks here by some. We all know it’s a tough economy…some things have to change, whether we all like them or not. That’s just the truth of it.
Anyway, keep up the good work. You’ve still got a supporter in me.
George Roughton
April 26th, 2009
4:57 pm
Bert,
As long as the AJC has Bookman, Luckovich and Tucker it will continue to die a slow death. I know you have one conservative columnist but frankly- he is just a token so the AJC can pretend to present both sides. Hey, you have a cool last name…but good luck. The AJC is sinking fast.
Bert Roughton, managing editor
April 26th, 2009
4:57 pm
OK. Thanks everyone for the comments. I see the themes are still sort of the same. I’m pleased that a few lefties suggest that instead of being ultra-liberal, we’re actually the tools of the right-wing conspiracy. Are you balanced if you complaints from both sides? Let me say again that we strive to present the spectrum of American political thought – as much of it as you can squeeze in our editorial pages. Whatever your point of view, you should be able to find a challenge or some comfort. I hope everyone at least something to think about. Our news pages, on the other hand, must be free of political agenda. A couple of you have pointed out some legitimate concerns about specific stories, and I will spend some time with those when I’m in the office tomorrow.
And again, I challenge everyone who comes to this conversation with a preconception about the AJC to have the courage to be challenged by actually reading the newspaper for a couple of weeks. If you see evidence of bias or anything else that concerns you, let me know and I’ll take your concerns to heart.
To those who no longer receive the paper, it breaks my heart. But let me say again we didn’t leave your parts of the state by choice. I guess we could continue printing everywhere in Georgia and continue with the same size and staff we had in 1990, but I’m guessing we’d be broke in a matter of weeks. We’re are taking these steps to preserve the newspaper because we believe in what we do. Let’s all hope for better days.
On sports, it’s true we’ve reduced space and have become pretty conservative about how we assign reporters and editors. It isn’t that we don’t care, it’s that we must respond to the realities in front of us. And we’re are listening very closely to sports readers as we proceed. When we can make changes that are within our means, we do. But it would be dishonest of me to suggest that sports readers wouldn’t see the difference. My best advice is to be patient with us as we move through these changes but make it clear to us what you believe you must have in your sports report.
We don’t have a military writer at the moment. As I hope you know, we’ve had some good ones in the past. Let me take that concern on board as we look at our staffing. If you have a specific story you’d like to discuss, give me a shout.
And Billy, if you sit in the target, you get dunked. That comes with joining the carnival.
Those of you with specific service complaints, I will share those with the right folks on Monday. And let me know how it goes. I’m at broughton@ajc.com, 404-526-5681.
Bert Roughton, managing editor
April 26th, 2009
4:59 pm
Nice to hear from you, Uncle George.
Keith Wishum
April 26th, 2009
5:01 pm
I deeply miss the print edition of the AJC down here in my small town in south Georgia, but I am grateful to at least have the online version. It’s not the same as holding a paper in hand, but it at least keeps my informed. There are certainly aspects of the AJC that I dislike, but I still appreciate the news. And, I have to say, I respect you for being will to post your thoughts here and then take all the pot shots from disgruntled readers. If I were you, I’d go back outside and enjoy the day.
Keith Wishum
April 26th, 2009
5:02 pm
And obviously, I need some proof-reading, too.
Bert Roughton, managing editor
April 26th, 2009
5:12 pm
Keith: I’ll be back outside shortly. I gave a speech at Georgia Southern a year or so ago, just after we stopped delivering to that part of the state. The people there were wonderful. I went to a place in Statesboro called Snookies, and met the owner, Bruce Yawn, who was very saddened to lose the newspaper. He wasn’t a computer guy and didn’t really know we had an online edition. I told him, and he was cheered a little but I could see he had lost something very important. Losing readers like you and Bruce is hard for me to take. I’m hoping people up here will pay attention to folks who now know what it’s like to be without us. I even had a guy tell me that he missed hating us.
Wayne
April 26th, 2009
5:17 pm
We all have our opinions on virtually every subject. I appreciate the fact that the subjects are discussed and that sparks us all to be involved.
I agree will Jack about the online news articles. After about a week or so, replace them. The articles about the Weeks have been online for months. Keep them fresh.
What about a section dedicated to helping those readers that have been devastated by the recession? Articles on jobs, job fairs, training opportunities, etc. Along this line, how about more help with seeking the best price for goods, perhaps help locating coupons, free services, etc.
Each month, each municipality in each county has a Council Meeting. How about including those in the Metro sections in the county coverages?
When we read about a subject, it would be nice to be able to read the previous articles on it as well. We have to pay to enter the archives to do this. Could you create a link online, in the article, so the previous articles can be viewed also?
I enjoy reading the AJC every day. It is set as my homepage. Good Luck!
Bert Roughton, managing editor
April 26th, 2009
5:29 pm
Wayne: These are good ideas. Let me ponder them some more.
Peaches: I meant to say something about your concerns about the way we played the stem cell story. I think you may be right about that one, and I’ve said so in the office. This is a complex story in which people are invested deeply on both sides – as if there are only two sides to the issue. If I remember correctly, we clearly represented the opponents of lifting the restrictions on the front page but the stories that day, taken as whole, could lead one to believe that the newspaper was celebrating the decision. I honestly believe the decision making in this case – including my own – was off key. We tried to make up for it in subsequent editions, but that one gave me pause as well. Thanks for giving us another chance.
Bert Roughton, managing editor
April 26th, 2009
6:00 pm
Time to go fire up the grill. Please take a look at the redesigned newspaper starting on Tuesday. It is way cool,and I’d love to hear your responses.
Bert