Ted Diadiun, the Cleveland Plain Dealer’s reader representative, tells readers of his Sunday column why newspapers tweak things and why former BJ staffer Debbie VanTassel is not always happy with too many changes.
By Ted Diadiun
Plain Dealer Columnist
A woman called awhile back to opine on the issue of "tweaking." I didn't save the voice mail, but here's an approximation:
"What's with all this tweaking you people do constantly?" she shouted into the phone. "Why can't you leave things alone? You change the comics, you change the TV listings. Every time I get used to the paper one way, you change it! Keep it the way it is. . . . I am so sick of your constant tuh-WEAKING!!"
In her colorful way, the caller put her finger on a reality of this business: the continuing need for the newspaper to remain fresh and current, which can run contrary to some readers' desire that we keep things the way they are -- on the same page, in the same order -- forever.
The daily newspaper is an evolving, almost living, entity. Obviously, the news is different every day.
So comics come and go. This is distressing to some, because there isn't a comic strip ever created that isn't some reader's favorite, and there is no fury like a reader whose favorite strip has disappeared from the paper.
But if no newspaper ever experimented with its comics lineup, we would all still be carrying the Katzenjammer Kids, and you never would have heard of Charlie Brown -- let alone Garfield or Dilbert. If I had my way, we would dump a half-dozen strips a year and replace them with fresh ones. This is an opinion, I should emphasize, that is not shared by our features editor, Debbie VanTassel -- who understands the need for occasional churn but has things she wants to do with her life other than debate with readers about comics all day long.
Click on the headline to read the unsnipped version of the column
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