The Morning News’ opinion section is changing. Here’s what you can expect.
This is a commentary by opinion columnist Adam Van Brimmer.
In evolutionary terms, this publication’s opinion content has changed at light speed in recent years.
Many of the shifts were overdue. We abandoned the daily editorial board column in favor of more commentaries from community leaders and subject matter experts. We imposed new letters to the editor guidelines to encourage more concise, civil and thoughtful submissions. We recruited and incorporated more local and state thought leaders into our regular contributor ranks.
The core strategy behind these moves is simple: We are a community newspaper, and our opinion content needs to address the topics most relevant to our audience. That’s meant an ever-tightening focus on local issues, local government and local people.
The response, measured in web analytics and in reader feedback, has been positive. Savannahians are looking to our content for insights that go beyond the social media prattle - on planned new developments, on election issues, on neighbors who are making a difference in the community.
The readership growth we’ve seen at each stage of this evolutionary journey has challenged us to push a little farther. And so, we are about to make another light speed-like leap.
Opinion editor: Content changes aimed at community engagement
Starting this week, our opinion content will center even more on local and state topics. We will seek out more community voices and subject matter experts and look for opportunities to pull together multiple perspectives on key issues. Where appropriate, our contributors will offer possible solutions and outline how community members can get involved.
We’ll publish fewer commentaries on general topics and largely discontinue the use of syndicated columnists, including long-running contributors such as Cal Thomas, Leonard Pitts, George Will and Kathleen Parker. Their work can be accessed through many other sources online.
Many of your favorite local columnists will continue to grace our web and print pages. BIll Dawers, Mark Murphy, Tommy Barton and Wanda Lloyd will remain as contributors. My column will appear once each week.
Reader voices are vital to the dialogue as well, and we will continue to publish letters and Vox Populi submissions. We are updating our policies for that content - again, with a great focus on local topics and issues. Those changes are outlined in the piece by Opinion Director Zachariah Chou that accompanies this column.
Our opinion content emphasis is on delivering unique, well-researched perspectives that foster conversation within the community - quality, not quantity. For our SavannahNow.com readership, the changes will be subtle; our posting schedule is one or two new pieces of content - columns, commentaries, letters, Vox, Q&As - six days a week.
Print readers will see a much more noticeable difference. We are shifting to publication of opinion pages on Wednesdays and Sundays only. Our Sunday, opinion offerings will expand to two pages. All content will be locally generated, with very rare exceptions, and address issues of direct local impact.
As the opinion content changes, so does my job title. I will no longer serve as opinion editor and responsibility for the opinion pages, both online and in print, passes to Chou. I will continue to write a weekly column, produce the opinion newsletter, maintain the “Savannah’s Town Square” Facebook group and host our regular podcast, The Commute.
Thank you for your interest in our opinion content and your patience with these changes. Most of all, thank you for the passion you show for this community by reading and engaging with our content.
Contact Van Brimmer at avanbrimmer@savannahnow.com and follow him on Twitter @SavannahOpinion.
This article originally appeared on Savannah Morning News: Savannah Morning News opinion content changes to focus on local issues
