Terrance C.Z. Egger became publisher of the Plain Dealer in May of 2006. Since that time, the front page has drastically changed and come to life. Sports coverage has increased with the promotion of individual columnists. Restaurant reviews appear online first so that readers can comment and those comments will be in the print version along with the review. Readers can contribute photographs and commentary each week on high school sports amongst other topics and many blogs have been launched. In short, the paper has made rapid progress.

Fine goes on to say, “Major metropolitan papers need to increase their relevance to their readers. They can no longer be everything to everyone as the resources are constrained. Tradeoffs need to be made about what can be covered comprehensively and what cannot. Newspapers need to focus on what makes them distinct in their market and stick to their core strengths.”

Community dialogues are increasingly taking place online, involving the readers and also gaining participation from the newspapers, which has become increasingly important.

Lauren Rich Fine concluded that after her interview she had more confidence in the future of newspapers than she had in a long time.

Source: The Huffington Post through Poynter Institute Romenesko