Listening to readers
Shawn McIntosh, Public editor
Every day, I hear from dozens of readers. I get e-mails, phone calls and my favorite — hand-written letters.
It probably won’t surprise you to know that a fair amount of that correspondence includes complaints.
So thanks for complaining. Not that I want you to be unhappy, but when you are, and you let me know, it can make the newspaper better.
In the month since we launched the new AJC design, editors have responded to feedback I’ve passed on in dozens of ways. I don’t want to imply that they have been able to satisfy every reader’s preference, as the things some readers love (the narrower page, for example) are the exact same things others readers hate.
But when there’s consistency in complaints, the editors are especially attentive to what I hear from readers.
Here are some changes they’ve made in the past month in response to reader feedback:
- Increased letter spacing of body text to improve readability.
- Changed the briefs columns on the front of every section to a uniform color known as Ice, to improve readability and give the daily newspaper a more cohesive feel.
- Changed day and date color above the nameplate to signature gray to match other sections and to help remedy the “washed out” look.
- Darkened the blue in the nameplate for a more traditional feel.
- Adopted heavier text for headlines and increased letter spacing in headlines for improved readability.
- Changed the inside headlines for stories that continue on another page, to improve help readers find the “jump.”
- Increased point size and changed style of some Sports and Business statistical information.
- Changed the sans-serif font to add white space, increase point size and use bold lead-ins to improve readability.
- Tweaked the weather map by adding back state lines and changed some of the information on the weather page.
- Changed the Sports section color palette to be more harmonious with other sections (goodbye lime green!)
- Added some Sports space that had been removed and brought back the Scoreboard feature.
The changes aren’t complete; the newspaper is always evolving.
Editors tell me there will be more improvements to the weather and to photo reproduction. A new design launches this weekend for the opinion pages. And the folks who run the presses are working daily to improve some of the printing problems such as inking consistency and wrinkling of the pages.
Feel free to drop me a note or give me a call and let me know what you think of the changes so far. I’m always happy to hear from you, even with complaints — and especially in a hand-written letter.
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12 comments Add your comment
Carol Stroud
June 11th, 2009
7:39 pm
I would like to know why the AJC has not posted “events” that are happening in the Fayette County area lately. The Fayette County Master Gardeners had a garden tour on May 2 and were counting on a bit of publicity. When I say a bit, it’s because I submitted a big article, a small article, pictures, calendar information, and just a sentence. I submitted all this so the AJC would have a variety of lengths to choose from according to what they could publish. I submitted to 10 Days Out, the Big List, the AJC on-line special events, I e-mailed H&G@AJC.com, I called the news tip hot line to find out what to do to have our event published, I followed her directions by typing everything all over again onto an e-mail letter itself rather than having attachments, I e-mailed again asking for publicity, and we got NO PUBLICITY AT ALL. The AJC is delivered in Fayette County. Other county garden tour and similar events were publicized. On April 23 on page D2 under “Social Butterfly”, garden tours were listed. Why was Fayette County’s not listed? I would like to have an explanation, please.
Also, what was the reasoning to take away Erica Glasener’s and Martha Tates’s articles on Thursdays? I so looked forward to their articles.
I hope that Fayette County Events will not be neglected in the future.
Sincerely,
Carol Stroud
Fayette County Master Gardener
Mike
June 21st, 2009
9:34 am
Pathetic. This once-great Southern newspaper has wasted away — like a dying cancer patient on life-support. It’s not much more than a useless tabloid anymore. Paper has kept shrinking in small increments — they think nobody notices — there is less and less in it. Really who is going to pay to read this thing anymore? Certainly not me. They really just need to put this newspaper out of its misery and be done with it!
Barb Lucas
August 14th, 2009
10:01 am
Actually, no blog, just a question. I read where the staff of the Governor’s Office plan to take furlough days, just as teachers and prosecutors are. I have not heard where the legislative staff is planning on taking furlough days. And, while I am at it, how many staff members are there per legislator?
Charles Leal
August 15th, 2009
2:00 pm
Why did cancel Bill Husted the techno buddy? He is the only one I pay any attention to
KD
August 20th, 2009
2:33 pm
I agree that Bill Husted’s column was a vestige from the greater days of the newspaper. Makes no sense whatsoever. What is left?
sk
August 27th, 2009
9:27 pm
I didn’t realize the AJC had canceled Bill Husted until I read what Charles and KD wrote. Where can we find archives of his column? Why would you cancel such a great column?
Wanda
August 31st, 2009
4:19 pm
Enter your comments here
Shawn McIntosh
September 1st, 2009
5:16 pm
Thanks for asking about Technobuddy.
For the time being, we are offering Bill Husted’s column in our Sunday print edition only.
The editors are continually evaluating the types of news and information the AJC offers in print and/or online, and so your feedback is appreciated.
Andrew L.
September 8th, 2009
8:51 am
The Cancelling of Bill Husted’s daily Column was another blow to the read ability/utility of the the paper. It is no secret the readership of the AJC is primarily older “Boomers”. These folks, while not the target group for the “New AJC” are still folk that the Paper has a duty to service.
As bewildering as new technologies are to older folk Mr. Husted’s high quality Internet/hardware/whereto…. Columns were a so much appreciated font of clear concise easily understood information as to make them as near to indispensible.
One has to question the wisdom of the people who would make such a decision?
Ed Hadley
September 25th, 2009
9:23 am
Bill Husted’s column is usually a must read for me. Although most of us use commputers all the time, most of us are not that knowledgeable and he frequently answers the questions many of us had. I am very sorry to see you are cutting back on his column. I was wondering why I could not find it, until I ran across this discussion.
I have subscribed to the AJC for 7 years. Before that, I have subscribed to good newspapers in Charlotte, Baltimore, New York/New Jersey. Although their politics were out of line with Georgia, I thought the AJC was a good newspaper otherwise. The changeover in my opinion has made it a second rate paper that takes me about 15 minutes to peruse.
N.Matthews
October 25th, 2009
9:22 pm
I too am upset at the loss of Bill Husteds columns. It isn’t even reprinted on the AJC website anymore. His columns and advice are/were one of the BEST parts of the entire AJC. He actually helped so many people, as opposed to most of your non-news articles. I have a suggestion—to save money, why not cut back—–WAAAAY BACK on the racist-bigoted articles spewed from the computer of your Pulitizer Prize winning editor? Those articles only stir up anger & hatred among people. rather than promote good and harmony. Bill’s articles were down to earth, helpful and in today’s stress filled world, a very welcome break PLUS doing what could be called “a good deed” for others. I shared his articles with a cousin who lives UP in the Sierra Nevada Mtns. of California. Frankly there is nothing else in the AJC I would consider sharing with others. You Editors need to rethink what a Newspaper is supposed to be. Changing fonts, ink and size just doesn’t do the job, reporting facts & truth honestly & fairly would do it, for me, anyway.
Fred Ajax
November 4th, 2009
4:43 pm
What you have done in cancelling Bill Husted is more stupidity; I continually am having to re evaluate keeping my subscription! Why don’t you get rid of a real idiot like Cynthia Tucker? Can we still submit questions to Hulsted, and how?