Readers tell us what to keep, what to change

Coping, connecting and caring were resounding themes in readers' messages about the future of The Seattle Times.

Most of the many dozens of readers who responded to my previous column said they love newspapers. They have ideas for how The Times can be better, but they treasure its place in their daily lives. They worry that newspapers will abandon traditional community service in redefining themselves to compete for the public's attention. "If this historical function of newspapers is ever allowed to fall by the wayside, then there is no reason for them to exist, no matter what other daily jobs they help me with," wrote one Seattle woman.

A longtime subscriber said he just about canceled his subscription when he read my earlier column. "I understand that, sadly, many Americans are no longer reading newspapers. I understand you are trying to widen the paper's appeal but be careful not to lose your core constituency, Mr. Fancher."

A woman wrote, "The purpose of the newspaper has always been to keep people informed of events around the world as well as those in our backyard. Events that directly and indirectly affect us and the rest of humanity and our planet ... The best newspapers are diligent, unbiased, and serve no one but their readers, the general public — not always by telling them what they want to know, but what they NEED to know. If you do these things wholeheartedly you will offer the reader something the Internet cannot: substance ... Do not underestimate the public."

If everyone were like these people, the newspaper industry would be in fine shape. Unfortunately, the industry is facing what the American Press Institute calls "the triple whammy of shrinking newspaper readership, declining profit margins and reductions in staffing."

API, a training center, commissioned a project called Newspaper Next, or N2, as a "blueprint for transformation." It encourages newspapers to identify people's frustrations, wants and needs. N2 calls these "jobs to be done."

Newspapers must figure out how to help get those jobs done for people who don't have the newspaper-reading habit. My earlier column invited readers to join our N2 thinking, and the responses were thoughtful and heartfelt.

Coping

My favorite e-mail was from a woman who said she and her husband subscribe to The Seattle Times, the New York Times and The Wall Street Journal. None of their four adult children subscribes to any newspaper at all. "Only one of them even admits to reading a paper on a semi-regular basis (at work). The other three tell us that they learn about newsworthy events from television and the Internet. Only the newspaper reader listens to NPR."

She said we can count on her to continue to subscribe to The Times, "but I would like to help you reach out to my kids and to others like them." Her suggestions fell into the "jobs to be done" categories of "give me enjoyment" and "help me take action."

She wrote, "I think that a 'Make it Happen' feature is a neglected and extremely appealing lure for American consumers. And not the just the been-there-done-that pieces about tax tips and how to sell your house." She included a terrific list of ideas.

Coping information was suggested by many other readers. The most common topics were finances and consumer-related problems, technology and activities. Here are two sample comments:

"Help me cope with this 'information age' ... I don't mean technology of the future, I mean stuff that's available right now that I might want to use if I just had the right person to walk me through the process."

"My husband and I pay a baby-sitter $60 every Tuesday (SIXTY DOLLARS!!!!) so we can go out. But most of the time we end up just going to our favorite pub and then a bookstore before schlepping home at an early hour. Why? Because it's surprisingly hard to find information about things to do."

Connecting

The ideas about connecting ranged widely.

"At the end of each article list the journalist's e-mail address and the addresses and telephone numbers of other sources for where readers can comment on or get added information about information in the article ... In every edition, invite readers to request or suggest specific stories."

"I want the local paper to help the community know itself, to facilitate community and networking, and fun!"

One self-described news junkie reads the paper and tons of other stuff online. "So I love the revolution we are living through," she wrote. She encourages The Times to cover everything from local gossip, which "has a role in keeping a community honest," to investigative journalism. And, she wants the newspaper to facilitate readers' taking collective action.

A mother with two sons who have Asperger syndrome wrote, "I am thinking about your questions about potential conversations that The Times might 'convene.' Since things that are happening in my family right now are bearing down on me, I was wondering whether The Times could provide some sort of forum for individuals like me who don't have an ax to grind but a cross to bear ... I don't know how it would look, but it would be wonderful if you could provide a forum for these families to share their stories and find avenues for their kids to beat the odds and grow up happy."

A form of coping and connecting involved having the newspaper and online content work effectively together. One reader wrote, "My online reading time competes with my print media reading time. With my days not getting any longer and my responsibilities increasing, I find reading time to be precious luxury. The competition between online and print reading time is getting critical with me personally."

He added, "I would like to see The Seattle Times integrate the Internet into articles. List links where additional information can be found. You do this now, but I would like to see it expanded."

A Seattle woman wrote, "What I need is a guide or map to the vast and ever-growing information that is available online."

Caring

I used "caring" to describe the two common requests: more positive stories and keeping bad news in perspective.

"It always appears there is plenty of ink for bad news, but never much ink for good news. I would like to read about our local successes. These do not have to be large monetary projects, just honest people doing honest things with their life," wrote a Bainbridge Island man.

A woman wrote that she needs "to feel safe and to feel hope, while staying informed." She feels the news creates a false impression of life's risks, contributing to an environment of fear. "Please don't make me choose between being informed and living with an accurate perception of risk. In the same way I don't like having to choose between being informed and maintaining my faith in humanity."

"Critical (not cynical and there is a difference) thinking is nonexistent in today's newspapers, and it is badly needed," wrote a Tacoma man.

"Devote more space to news from ALL around the world!! And not just 'bad' news but also write more about the cultures and people and projects and successes that exist around the globe. Ideally even include VOICES from around the world — have guest writers talk about their cultures, communities, and projects."

Finally, here are two especially inspiring comments:

"So I guess to answer your question — what you can do for me is to just be there. THANK YOU for making a great paper to look forward to every day."

"I'm rooting for you to continue to be a vibrant newspaper business. We need each other more than ever."

Inside The Times appears in the Sunday Seattle Times. If you have a comment on news coverage, write to Michael R. Fancher, P.O. Box 70, Seattle, WA 98111, call 206-464-3310 or send e-mail to mfancher@seattletimes.com. More columns at www.seattletimes.com/columnists