Post Discusses Circulation, Diversity( going USAtoday route)

Washington Post ^ | 11/19/04 | Frank Ahrens

[Pikamax]

Post Discusses Circulation, Diversity

By Frank Ahrens Washington Post Staff Writer Friday, November 19, 2004; Page C03

Washington Post Executive Editor Leonard Downie Jr. met with hundreds of newsroom staffers yesterday to outline management's latest attempts to combat declining circulation. However, the more intense discussion at the meeting involved diversity at the newspaper, as several minority staff members lamented that a white man recently was chosen over a woman and a black man as the paper's new managing editor.

Philip Bennett, assistant managing editor for foreign news, who is white, was selected by Downie to be the paper's No. 2 editor earlier this month, besting Eugene Robinson, assistant managing editor of Style, who is black, and Liz Spayd, assistant managing editor for national news.

[Pikamax]

In an effort to win new readers, Downie said Post reporters will be required to write shorter stories. The paper's design and copy editors will be given more authority to make room for more photographs and graphics.

The paper will undergo a redesign to make it easier for readers to find stories. It is considering filling the left-hand column of the front page with keys to stories elsewhere in the paper and other information readers say they want from the paper, which they often consider "too often too dull," Downie said.

[the Real fifi]

Can Richard Cohen. Harold Meyerson, Froomkin, and Milbank and hire Mark Steyn. Watch circulation soar.

[Dont Mention the War]

Let's see the resumes of Bennett, Robinson and Spayd. Which one of the three is actually most qualified to hold the position?

[tallhappy]

...the more intense discussion at the meeting involved diversity at the newspaper, as several minority staff members lamented that a white man recently was chosen over a woman and a black man as the paper's new managing editor.

And they wonder why their circulation is going down?

[Cincinatus' Wife]

This is not a parody.

[FormerACLUmember]

ScrappleFace parody is always the best. I alwys love clever satire. No, wait... THIS IS NOT A PARODY!!!!

[IStillBelieve]

So how does a liberal editor make the case to his staff that he promoted someone based on ability rather than identity?

I would assume it's a foreign concept to most of the ink-stained wretches at the Post.

[FormerACLUmember]

Oh, now this is a REAL solution to your free-fall circulation decline, Mr. Downie (Washington Post Executive Editor).

Never have I witnessed more intentionally clueless people, more psychotic levels of denial, than in the MSM, the doomed legacy media. Prediction: circulation will drop another 100,000 in two more years.

[Cincinatus' Wife]

The Weekly Standard "This is not a parody" last page is great!

[AmericanChef]

How typical that a group of lefties are skimming over real business to discuss their feeeeelings.

[BillF]

Post reporter discussing talk radio and Post circulation (down 10 percent in two years) on Laura Ingraham show now.

[BillF]

WashPost style reporter, Paul Farri, who wrote the usual story (everytime the conservatives win elections they run this): "What will talk radio talk about now? This [i.e., Bush victory] could be a diaster for talk radio."

Laura points out conservatives have been winning elections for years and talk radio has grown over the years, but newspaper circulation is down. In particular, WashPost circ is down 10 percent in 2 years.

Farri says that newspapers reach a larger audience than talk radio so that you can't compare them like that. Plus, there is more competition now for newspapers and people are busy. He admits that WashPost needs to do things better, but mainly ascribes lower circulation to factors beyond the control of the Post.

Laura was great as usual!

[traviskicks]

Modern liberalism requires everyone to look different but think the same.
lizavetta (freeper)


The paper is going to pots because of their liberal bias. They are more central than the NYtimes or the LAtimes, but the bias is still more than noticable. It was best seen in their absolute hatred for Aschroft, Wolfawitz and Rumseld. I don't believe a positve story about the three of them has EVER come out of the WP.

But the Post does have a good, solid, lawyer like, investigative reporter who I trust more than almost any other national reporter in Michael Dobbs. He covered the Swift Vets and Bush's Gaurd service (two intensely polarizing issues) very, very well - almost like a fact checker. They want good reporting - make him editor.

They should worry about their diversity of thought rather than their diversity of body.