NEW TECHNOLOGY FOR NEWSPAPERS

The locales for the ASNE conferences are planned at least five years in advance. But years ago when the organizers were planning their conference in technology-centered Seattle, who would have expected that this would be the year that the turmoil in our business would so perfectly intersect with the power of the Internet. And who better to point that out than Microsoft Chairman Bill Gates. Article titled "Vista feature will enhance online newspaper reading" appeared in The Seattle Times.

Gates began his presentation promptly, directly and with few of the icebreakers that accompany most luncheon speakers. I heard we were one of four stops that afternoon, so perhaps that accounts for the unfussy start. After outlining several key points along "Innovations through the Digital Decade" (including the fact that the US ranks only No. 14 in the world for broadband usage; Korea is No. 1) Gates introduced Microsoft's new Vista software system, to be released in January 2007.

As with other speakers who employed the same buzzword, Gates promised that Vista would be "user-centric" and aim to be a "rich pipeline of solutions for users." Key for our business is an onscreen reading software program designed to take the most positive traits of print newspaper reading (portability, page-throughs, natural flow of text) and combine it with the power of interactivity and relevancy. Working with either traditional PCs and laptops or tablet devices, Gates promised that the onscreen reading experience would give newspapers the advantage of the Web that they aren't harnessing now.

Gates brought to the stage Arthur Sulzberger Jr., publisher, and Tom Bodkin, AME and design director, of The New York Times to run through the program as it has been employed at their paper. Sulzberger promised that "Times Reader" (which I confirmed with a Microsoft demonstrator is only the name that the NYTimes has given it for their use; the software itself is untitled other than "onscreen reading" and can be renamed for any client) gives readers the ability "to engage in our journalism much as they would in print." Sulzberger emphasized that reader interaction with newspapers had changed and urged, "We must be platform agnostic. We must follow the reader in how they want to connect."

Bodkin called their "Times Reader" development "a breakthrough moment ... we found a platform that had the look and feel of reading a newspaper." Speeding through an online demonstration, Bodkin showed how a reader can mimic newspaper sequencing (by reading from beginning, middle and end) while the text will reformat and reflow to any screen size. Fonts are the same as the print edition and ads move within a story and have one-click connection to the advertiser's Web site. Readers can annotate stories and then save them to files, e-mail or post to a blog. Headlines can be scanned, photo galleries click back to accompanying stories and articles can be grayed out to indicate they've already been read.
Bodkin, a print purist, says he is now a "total convert" to the onscreen experience.

Microsoft is looking for papers that wish to implement Vista software in their newsrooms and develop their own versions of a "Times Reader" online newspaper. Those interested should contact Microsoft directly. As Gates pointed out, "We can start to mold (online reading) so it preserves what is good, (about traditional print reading) but incorporates new ways to integrate advances in technology."

As I heard mumurmed more than once as Gates left the stage, this innovation might very well mark the beginning of the end of the print newspaper for many readers. But it also points to a future with unlimited potential for connecting with readers in new and astonishing ways.

Farewell, Seattle. It was an ASNE conference to remember and if the innovations offered are implemented across our industry, it may prove to be the moment when editors saw the future of journalism and embraced the challenge of a new era.

Karisue Wyson is North American Executive Sales Manager for The Washington Post Writers Group.

WHAT'S MISSING IN IMMIGRATION COVERAGE

At lunch Thursday, our topic -- "Immigration: How wide the golden door?" -- covered many of the issues that are being debated on both national and local levels. Panelists Hector Figueroa, secretary-treasurer of the Service Employees International Union, Ira Mehlman of the Federation for American Immigration Reform (FAIR) and Doris Meissner, former commissioner of the Immigration and Naturalization Service, staked out different positions on the matter, but found common ground on key points of workplace reform, increased enforcement and legislative accountability.

When asked what they found lacking in current media coverage, panelists offered the following suggestions.

Meissner:

-- Newspapers need to better explain the complexities of proposed legislation -- what will it mean nationally and what will it cost locally. Clearly define what is being proposed and carry those directives out several years into the future to get a better picture of the chances for success or failure.

Mehlman:

-- Get different perspectives. The immigrants and the employers have staked out their positions, but rarely do you hear about "the others." How does this affect workers licensed in a particular field who have been displaced by migrant workers? How does this affect kids in schools that are overwhelmed by new students unprepared for basic education? There aren't two sides to this issue, there are many.

-- Explain what will happen if amnesty is approved. How much will it cost in taxes? What will this mean to social services programs? How will these costs be absorbed in local communities?

Figueroa:

-- Cover the multiplicity of countries and ethnicities that are involved in the debate. This is not just a Mexican or Latino issue.

-- Explain the intent of the political process. What are legislators trying to accomplish with immigration reform? Have these measures already been tried and found lacking or will it approach reform with more safeguards?

A WEALTH OF INFORMATION AT YOUR FINGERTIPS

As they did at the 2005 ASNE Conference, John Humenik of the Arizona Daily Star and Dave Stoeffler of the Glens Falls Post-Star presented an inspiring and idea-generating workshop on making papers more relevant to readers.

The presentation focused on four needs of readers: Connectivity, Information, Entertainment and Shopping & Consuming. Each topic was followed by examples from newspapers and Web sites across the country. You can't read through these innovative ideas and not be inspired. Those who attended this workshop lingered long afterward to brainstorm and exchange tips. If you'd like a CD-rom of the presentation, simply e-mail John with an idea of your own and he'll send you a CD.

Here's a bit more background on a few of the papers highlighted:

-Under "Connectivity": Bluffton Today is an experimental Web site and free daily that is distributed to 15,000 homes in Bluffton, S.C. Frank Denton of Morris Communications explained that both the paper and Web site are intensely local and draws on community contributions to do journalism. Hence, they have a 70 percent daily readership, and higher over the course of the week. Editors purposely present a different tone than what's found in other newspapers in order to engage readers. The online site is building on the success of the print product, which Denton pointed out is a huge success with younger readers. "We can't keep it on the racks in high schools because (the students) are in it," he happily relayed.

-Under "Information": ChicagoCrime.org was highlighted several times throughout the conference as a new way to automate gathering statistics and offer readers the chance to sort and explore in ways that suit their needs. With a minimal technological investment (programmer Adrian Holovaty said it took him only about 40 hours to write the computer script that would automatically gather entries from the daily police blotter), the resulting information can be used in thousands of different ways. Holovaty, now with washingtonpost.com, also created the Voting Database, where if a reader were so inclined, could search congressional votes by zodiac sign.

-Under "Entertainment": WichiTalk is the Wichita Eagle's reinvented lifestyles pages aimed at women. This mix of high-utility features and quick reads is remarkably interactive in its tabloid format. Sherry Chisenhall, managing editor, said WichiTalk replaced the regular features section and brought all the themes that would appeal to women under one umbrella. In a recent promotion at a women's fair, attendees were so impressed with WichiTalk handouts that they signed 95 new subscribers to the newspaper, many who would have been happy just to get the tabloid!

-Under "Shopping & Consuming": The Rochester Democrat and Chronicle's FingerLakesWine.com is actually a study in "reverse publication" where the Web site was so successful that they turned it into a print publication. This mix of all things related to the wine industry and enjoyment of the product in upstate New York is aimed at both local readers and tourists who visit the area.

Karisue Wyson is North American Executive Sales Manager for The Washington Post Writers Group.

IT'S NOT ABOUT THE COFFEE, IT'S ABOUT THE COFFEE DRINKER

Can you imagine a CEO of a billion dollar corporation speaking for more than an hour about his company and not once mentioning his core product? That was exactly what we heard from Howard Schultz, Starbucks CEO, on Tuesday afternoon. His keynote address focused exclusively on customers, the users of his globally recognized brand.

Schultz delivered an inspirational look at connecting with your market on a personal level. That his message continued to resonate in the sessions on Wednesday speaks to the impact his vision and advice could have on our industry. If you wanted to hear all about how Starbucks blends its coffee with the finest beans to present it to eager customers, you were out of luck. Instead, you heard why the customer drives every single decision the company makes, and why employees serve as the front line for product development.

Schultz calls himself a student of human behavior and the study of trends and brands, specifically how brands "build, fracture and endure." In addition to thousands of Starbucks around the world, the company has branched into music, finance and, starting this weekend, movies.

So what, exactly, makes Starbucks so irresistible? How did they reinvent a "mature" product? How did they turn teens into coffee connoisseurs? How the heck do newspapers get that Starbucks Mojo? Schultz believes that consumers are cynics and searching for integrity in a business. Give them the truth and they will embrace your product. Understanding how people segment their days is one way Starbucks clued into customers' tastes. Giving them a place that offered a sense of community is another. Zoning in on the tactile and emotional aspects that make a customer comfortable completes the attraction with soothing colors, comfortable seating, unobtrusive invitations to just "be." This gathering point was key to drawing the youth crowd and eventually they created products that would keep them coming back, Schultz said.

What I found most interesting is the way Starbucks has embraced it their failures. Did you know that Starbucks launched a magazine? It was called "Joe" and had the impressive backing of Time-Warner. It also bombed in a most spectacular fashion. The company tried to launch carbonated coffee, and it too was DOA. But the failed bid for carbonated coffee led to the development of their bottled Frappuccino, which has been a huge hit with consumers. Schultz believes that too many companies are afraid to be associated with failure and therefore don't have the chance to innovate.

Will newspapers be brave enough to take a chance like Starbucks and risk a chance at failure? For a medium that prides itself on daily reinvention, it sometimes seems that many newspapers find risk too great. But dynamic Starbucks certainly shows that taking a chance can pay off big.

How often do we hear that editors promote their Pulitzers heavily, but rarely reader favorites such as comics? Ask any newspaper ombudsman what Pulitzers mean to readers. Not as much as it means to the newsroom. When Schultz speaks about the pride of his company, it's about the connection Starbucks has with customers and the community it has built by responding to their needs. It's not about the coffee.

TO BOLDLY GO WHERE NO NEWSPAPER HAS GONE BEFORE

So with Schultz's seeds of innovation planted a day earlier, Wednesday's sessions picked up that theme and plunged forward. Stephen Gray of the American Press Institute presented the findings of "Newspaper Next", a look at a new business model for newspapers. Already The Boston Globe, The Dallas Morning News, The Record of Hackensack, N.J., The Portland Oregonian and Gannett News Co. have all implemented strategies from the Newspaper Next project.

Gray was followed by a panel with Dana Robbins of The Hamilton Spectator and Jeffrey Bruce of The Dayton Daily News, two editors who have tried bold experiments in reinventing their papers (examples for the two papers begin on slide #30). Robbins of the Hamilton highlighted their changes and recounted that 600 subscribers canceled immediately. Did the paper back down? No. And 90 percent of those who canceled resubscribed within six months. I followed up with Roger Gillespie, the Spectator's managing editor/readership, a position that was recently created in conjunction with the paper's redesign.

The first bold move was to scrap business, entertainment and lifestyle sections as individual sections and combine them into a single "News" section. Sports was redesigned as a European model tabloid that is heavily promoted online and on the web. Classified has its own section and picking up the thread of Starbucks consumer-driven strategy, Gillespie explained that they identified women as a readership they were losing and created GO, a magazine aimed at drawing them back. It copies many successful magazine formats including a mix of long and short utility articles. Gillespie credits "a very different approach to writing" including some stories of 75,000-100,000 words carried over several weeks and months. "To broaden readership we recognize the news side is just one side of the paper and we recognize that many women were disappearing because there was nothing of interest for them." And Gillespie notes the changes are ongoing with reader feedback continually reshaping the content, focus and impact.

Back on Wednesday's panel, Bruce explained that the Dayton paper followed the Readership Institute's directive for creating a paper that could be incorporated into readers' lives. They created three sample papers with different focuses and asked readers to give feedback before implementing changes. Staff from every newspaper department was engaged in the process which helped in defining goals for readership. Bruce added that they were prepared for a tidal wave of reaction from readers but were impressed that most readers weren't opposed to the changes.

In both cases, The Spectator and The Daily News reached outside of their core readership to create a news product that would attract readers not currently engaged in the newspaper. Let's emphasize that again: Consumer-driven, not product-driven. Reader-centric, not editor-centric. Grassroots, not top-down.

Karisue Wyson is North American sales manager for The Washington Post Writers Group.

ASNE CONFERENCE IN SEATTLE

I've been traveling on the West Coast for almost 10 days now, and the first question every editor asks is, "So, what are you hearing?" Editors want to know who is getting laid off, who just took a buyout, what papers are buying anything, and what are other editors saying. It's definitely a time of uncertainty and editors are worried. But how worried should they be? And are they worried about the right things?

That is the ongoing debate here at the ASNE Conference in Seattle. You can hear it in every side conversation and it's the subject of most presentations. Attendance is down but those who have made the trip to this beautiful city are hearing some very connected speakers discuss the state of our business. The first day started with the Small Newspaper Luncheon and a packed room of about 45 editors from newspapers with circulations under 75,000, guests and ASNE Board Members who listened to a presentation by Charles Pittman, senior vice president of Schurz Communications. Not content to listen to the doomsayers, Pittman believes that small newspapers can be "pioneers in a new land." He listed 12 directives in the following categories, and threw out a few suggestions to get the creative juices flowing:

-Style

1. Be relentlessly local. Small newspapers can do it better than anyone.

2. Be people-centered. Show faces of the old, the young, the diverse.

3. Vary writing styles. For every narrative, try a Q&A.

4. Break it out. Use breakouts on every page possible.

Philosophy

5. Give readers news they like to read. Embrace their love of entertainment stories.

6. Write about what readers like to do. Cover sporting events that happen in communities.

7. Give them motivators. Cover the things that make them live better, look smarter and don't waste their time.

8. Ask, "What does this mean for our readers?" If a story is complex, break it down and explain how it affects the community and its individual members.

Marketing

9. Keep 'em coming back. Be respectful of their time and keep the information relevant.

10. Promote. Promote. Promote.

11. Embrace the Web. Don't be afraid to send your readers there.

12. Interact. Appreciate diversity and work harder to get the voice of people of color into the paper.

Pittman believes that newspapers need to say to readers: Buried in "the product," next to the ads for cars and jobs, we have "a service" that you really need. We won't lie to you, and if we don't know the truth, we will find out. And if papers do this, "one by one readers eyes will be opened and they will become your biggest advocate. ... Don't wish it were easier. Just wish you were better."

The session on "Technology, Demography, Wall Street and Newspapers" could have started with breaking news, as McClatchy CEO Gary Pruitt sat next to MediaNews CEO Dean Singleton. The two companies are in negotiations over several of the former Knight Ridder papers that McClatchy recently bought and will just as quickly divest. Moderator Alberto Ibarguen, Knight Foundation CEO, coyly asked, "Anything to announce?" Pruitt bit his tongue and offered only that there would be "an announcement in the coming weeks." Singleton grinned, but also remained mum. There were several moments like this throughout the discussion, and it was interesting to watch two CEOs in much-hyped negotiations showing their cards (well, at least most of them) in a frank discussion about why Wall Street should care about newspapers. Wall Street was represented by analyst William Drewry, managing director and head of media at Credit Suisse Securities. As expected, each had his own take on the state of the industry, with Pruitt covering much of the ground as in his earlier article for The Wall Street Journal on the McClatchy-Knight Ridder deal, Singleton stressing that he's in the business to make money and have fun, and Drewry pointing out that to Wall Street, it's all about the bottom line.

So where does this leave journalism? According to Drewry, Wall Street is agnostic. "The market cares less about the quality of the product unless the quality leads to better market growth."

To Pruitt, who, it was pointed out, must answer to Wall Street because McClatchy trades in public stocks, it means he'd prefer to buy a paper which "has a good editorial product that is run terrible otherwise." He added that it is most important to have a paper in a good market because, while a newspaper can change, a market generally can't. "It's difficult to publish good papers in a declining market," Pruitt explained.

Singleton, who can operate without stockholder interference because MediaNews is a privately held company, said he also likes "great news towns in difficult times." As the recent buyer of the Detroit News, he's facing that very issue -- a competitive market where the local industries (auto companies) are struggling. However, in keeping with his spirit of "fun," he thrives on the challenge and explained the pressure as inspiring him. "I feel like I'm an editor!" Singleton exclaimed.

Ibarguen pressed the matter of editorial vs. profit and asked Drewry, "Do people know how much influence you have on the civic information that they get?" In a crash course on the investing world, Drewry explained that it is ultimately "fund managers who make the decision, that is what we call 'the market.'" He and other analysts monitor that and make their reports with little influence regarding the journalism being practiced in a market. However, he said newspapers aren't the only industry that have an influence on their communities lives, and pointed out that companies like GM and Ford can have just as much a tie to their local communities as newspapers do.

So, what will the next one to five years bring for newspaper companies? Pruitt believes the fastest growth will be online with a slow erosion of the print audience. Evolution of the business will involve lots of new and carefully targeted products online. He said the key lies in newspapers having the leading local online search engine (beating Google at its game) and leveraging their connection with local classifieds. He noted that online readers bring in less revenue but cost less to reach.

Singleton believes in a two-prong strategy. The first is to protect the print product, as would be expected from a company that just invested $500 million in new presses. He pointed out that editors need to make newspapers more compelling than they are today. "We have edited newspapers for each other and to pat each other on the back. Circulation tells us that newspapers aren't giving consumers what they want." The second strategy is to take newsgather resources online in a way online readers want to use it, and to find a way to make it pay. Singleton said newspapers either need to come together to create a local search engine that can be used industrywide, or to forge partnerships with companies like Google and Yahoo! and share in the revenue. "If we don't start getting paid for news, we can't continue to produce it, " Singleton warned.

The panel closed with messages of optimism. Drewry encouraged editors by rallying them to be "bold, innovative and aggressive." Singleton reminded the audience that there was opportunity for "great business, but different. They call us 'newspapers' for a reason, because it starts in a newsroom. You will determine in your newsroom what we stand for." Pruitt closed by stating, "Even though the business is changing, mission-driven journalism is paramount."

Karisue Wyson is North American sales manager for The Washington Post Writers Group.

CARPING ON THE PULITZERS

It's a sure rite of spring that in the week following the announcement of the Pulitzer Prizes, griping follows. Journalists, most of whom aren't very skeptical when it comes to claims of global warming, still find plenty of ice-cold water to pour on the winners.

Such activity used to be confined to the, ahem, water cooler. But now Pulitzer-carping has gone out of the newsrooms and, by way of the Internet, into the public domain -- big time. This year it's being fueled by William Bennett, the former education secretary and drug czar, who said on his radio show that three winners -- Dana Priest of The Washington Post and James Risen and Eric Lichtblau of The New York Times -- were not "worthy of an award" but rather "worthy of jail."

Bennett later went on CNN to modify his remarks, but by then the CIA had announced the firing of an analyst for leaking classified information. Although the agency did not name the analyst, it didn't take long for reporters to identify her as Mary McCarthy and note that she had been one of Priest's sources. Certain parts of the blogospere went ballistic, taking specific aim at Priest.

Priest won her award for disclosing that the CIA was operating secret prisons abroad, presumably in Eastern European countries that used to be part of the Soviet bloc (if nothing else, isn't there some irony here?). Risen and Lichtblau won for reporting on a surveillance program that operated outside the boundaries of a special court set up years ago to approve such wiretapping and other electronic intercepts. President Bush appealed to editors of both papers to spike the stories.

Is this an example of in-your-face journalism run amok? Beg pardon. Editors from the smallest weeklies to the largest dailies routinely get calls from officials trying to suppress information. And thankfully, the suppressors are routinely rebuffed. In Priest's case, the Post did delete some information that was deemed detrimental to national security, such as the names of the countries where the prisons were situated.

But there is an unwritten rule in American journalism that once you have gathered information, you don't sit on it. Troubling as both the Priest and Risen/Lichtblau stories might have been for some readers, I'd rather know about them than not. We're a grown-up nation, and I believe if we are to win this war on terror, we need to know everything we can about how our government is prosecuting it. A democracy does hold its officials accountable, and that's not easy to do if your head is in the sand.

As for McCarthy, she knew the risk when she agreed to talk. That's why sources request anonymity. (And on Tuesday, the Post carried a Page One story in which McCarthy's lawyer denied she had leaked classified information or served as Priest's source on the secret prisons.) But that's also why reporters check with multiple sources to nail their stories down. You need to find if there are others willing to take the risk. Because of a previously announced investigation, Priest has been very limited in what she can say about her reporting. Still, I think that suggestions that she was set up by the CIA in a sting operation, or any number of other attempts to discredit her reporting that showed up on the Net over the weekend, are poppycock.

Getting back to the Pulitzers in general, I suppose it is just another sign of the times we live in that journalism's highest honor can be used as a lightning rod to provoke our political divisiveness. The awards are low-key, announced on a Monday afternoon in mid-April by Columbia University, which administers the program. It's no made-for-TV gala, with nominees making fools of themselves as so often happens during the Academy Awards. Celebrations take place in a winning newsroom -- we had a great one last Monday here at the Post, the first time the newspaper had garnered four Pulitzers --but then everyone goes back to work. And while some readers might subscribe to a paper because it has won a Pulitzer, there's absolutely no scientific proof of it.

In short, these are journalism awards, an acknowledgement that a winner has been judged, literally by a jury of peers, to have done the finest work in the business for the preceding year.

Much as I favor a vigorous debate on just about any topic imaginable, I still don't get the kill-the-messenger tone that is surrounding some of this year's Pulitzer winners. And put me on record as throwing water on the notion that the Pulitzer jury was sending a message to the Bush administration as well. It just doesn't work that way, folks.

Leave the carping for journalists who thought they should have won, but didn't, where it rightfully belongs -- at the water cooler.

James Hill is managing editor for The Washington Post Writers Group.

THE TIMES WE LIVE IN OUR PRECIOUS

We are thankful for Cincinnati Post columnist Nick Clooney's* piece on David Broder's recent visit to his area. As you can see from Clooney's column, Dave was frank in saying he has no idea why the nation's political system is in such disarray that problems aren't addressed. Interesting thought: The times we live in are perilous, but less so than those we have survived in living memory, and yet we seem to be more polarized than ever.

We can't wait to read what Dave will write in covering the midterm elections, which could be a backbreaker for the Bush administration. See E.J. Dionne's piece on Karl Rove's reassignment and that very subject.

Around here we like to say that insights such as these come three ways: reporting, reporting, reporting. Sounds trite perhaps, but ever so true.

*In case you were wondering, Nick Clooney is the father of George Clooney and the brother of Rosemary Clooney.

Alan Shearer is editorial director of The Washington Post Writers Group.

A LIVELY DISCUSSION ON IMMIGRATION

It figures that a nation of immigrants would find itself engaged in such a lively discussion on immigration. What equally figures is that the subject would draw such a wide array of commentary, from columnists and cartoonists of every political leaning.

The home page of postwritersgroup.com includes a special area that highlights the work of our columnists and cartoonists on the immigration debate alone. We put this up in late March as the Senate was beginning debate on the immigration bill. It has grown to the point where we are having trouble keeping up with all the commentary on the issue.

If you click on the links, you will discover that there are few like minds on the subject. Whereas the cable TV shout-fests would reduce illegal immigration to an either/or proposition -- throw them out or let them stay -- the art of having to commit pen to paper more often produces not an echo chamber, but an element of surprise.

George Will, one of the masters of surprise, dissuaded readers of any notion that he might be of the "throw them out" wing of conservatism when he wrote:"Conservatives should want, as the president proposes, a guest worker program to supply what the U.S. economy demands -- immigrant labor for entry-level jobs. Conservatives should favor a policy of encouraging unlimited immigration by educated people with math, engineering, technology or science skills that America's education system is not sufficiently supplying.

"And conservatives should favor reducing illegality by putting illegal immigrants on a path out of society's crevices and into citizenship by paying fines and back taxes and learning English. Faux conservatives absurdly call this price tag on legal status 'amnesty.' Actually, it would prevent the emergence of a sullen, simmering subculture of the permanently marginalized, akin to the Arab ghettos in France. The House-passed bill, making it a felony to be in the country illegally, would make 11 million people permanently ineligible for legal status. To what end?"

A foolish consistency, as Emerson wrote, is the hobgoblin of little minds, but a reasoned consistency is something to cherish when you are picking your positions amid the live wires of the immigration question. Ruben Navarrette Jr. has been writing on the subject ever since he joined The Writers Group more than five years ago, and has never strayed from his core belief that illegal immigration is wrong, but punishment must be a two-way street. He consistently notes the irony of U.S. employers scooping up illegal immigrants because they can pay them low wages for jobs that, as President Bush says, "Americans won't do."

"If we were being honest," Navarrette wrote in his most recent column, "Americans would have to admit that illegal immigration is a self-inflicted wound and that the cities and states that find themselves combating an influx of these immigrants also often have booming economies and plenty of work for the undocumented. If we were being honest, we wouldn't bother acting surprised by the fact that there are so many illegal immigrants living in our communities -- not when we've been hiring them or turning a blind eye to those who hire them for years. If we were being honest, we would accept that demonstrators are not demanding benefits or asking for handouts, but merely fighting back against what they see as an attack against immigrants and an attempt to make criminals out of hard-working, taxpaying members of society."

Tough talk on a tough issue. But that's what strikes me about all of the commentary -- more than 16 columns by seven different writers, plus editorial cartoons by Signe Wilkinson and Nick Anderson -- we've put out on immigration in a little over three weeks. Our nation of immigrants needs this type of debate.

James Hill is managing editor for The Washington Post Writers Group.

WHITHER RUMSFELD?

The story had been unfolding for a couple of weeks as retired general after retired general came forward to question or denounce the Pentagon leadership under Secretary of Defense Donald Rumsfeld. David Ignatius was watching, and reporting.

Then, after The Washington Post carried a Page One story by Thomas E. Ricks noting what has come to be known as the "revolt of the generals," Ignatius turned in one of the strongest columns of his career: "Replace Rumsfeld."

The column ran in The Post last Friday and was distributed to Ignatius clients worldwide. It was the topic du jour in Washington, with Rumsfeld and various Pentagon spokesmen suggesting the secretary was paying no attention. Then President Bush interrupted his Easter vacation to issue a statement offering Rumsfeld his "strong support."

Indeed, "whither Rumsfeld?" is a question that may not get answered for some time to come. But I'd like to point out what Ignatius has done, in just over 750 words, and why it enforces my belief that good column-writing by knowledgeable commentators is essential for American democracy. For if you agree with Ignatius' conclusion or not, you have to admit that he has stirred a debate, one that can no longer be dismissed as the harping of malcontents bitter over the course of the Iraq War.

And folks, this debate is not going away, nor should it. In Tuesday's Post, David S. Broder and E.J. Dionne Jr. both devoted their columns to the subject. I've seen columns taking the opposing view in other papers and Web sites. Perhaps this tipping-point moment, with momentum building since the Abu Ghraib prison scandal, would have happened if Ignatius had never decided to write his remarkable and hard-hitting column. But he did, and it did.

Comic relief. Sales Manager Karisue Wyson is traveling in California and reports that our Guest Comic Rotation idea is a big hit. The Writers Group is developing a package of materials that can be used to engage comics readers -- and newspaper editors -- in the great comics debates. (Hat tip: Editorial Director Alan Shearer.)

Shop talk. Lean Plate Club columnist Sally Squires was interviewed recently on the Satellite Sisters radio program. You can hear it here (under "Our Favorite Conversations"). ... Jabari Asim's column on Rep. Cynthia McKinney caught the attention of the bookers for Fox News' "Hannity & Colmes" show. No video feed link, but Jabari reports he held his own. ... David Broder's recent trip to the Bluegrass country in Kentucky included a meeting with editor Marilyn Thompson and members of the newsroom at The Lexington Herald-Leader. Earlier, Broder and Post deputy managing editor Milton Coleman had dinner with the publisher, editor and editorial page editor of The Birmingham News. Dave, the dean of Washington political columnists, is generous with his time in sharing his experience and wisdom with newspaper reporters and editors.

On the road. Jim Hoagland, this week India; next week Germany, on a reporting trip. On vacation: Eugene Robinson, and a well-deserved one at that, in New Zealand. Future travelers: Ruben Navarrette Jr., who'll take one week off while vacationing in Paris.Something new: If you look at the postwritersgroup.com home page, you'll see a link announcing the launch of a new column, in English and Spanish, by Alvaro Vargas Llosa. Check it out. We're thrilled to welcome him to The Writers Group, and think editors will be excited by the depth and analysis he provides on critical issues, especially those concerning Latin America.

James Hill is managing editor for The Washington Post Writers Group.

OFFICIAL BLOG LAUNCH

I.F. Stone, launching his provocative I.F. Stone's Weekly in 1953, urged his readers to save the first issue  because it would one day become a collector's item. I won't promise the same for Writers Groupblog, which  debuts today on www.postwritersgroup.com, but I'd be grateful if readers would bookmark it. We'd like you to get to know us.

We start Groupblog at a time of great transformation in journalism centered around the Internet. In addition to appearing in newspapers around the world, the writers and cartoonists of The Washington Post Writers Group now run on numerous newspaper Web sites and on sites such as Real Clear Politics and comics.com. Our commentators and analysts are regularly cited -- and their columns linked -- on any number of the quite remarkable blogs that have developed over the last few years to engage in a great online debate. And postwritersgroup.com is not only a source of information about the journalistic content and products we have to offer, but also a venue to purchase those products. So Groupblog is conceived as a way to talk with you about The Writers Group, and encourage you to talk with us about The Writers Group as well.

We'd also like to think, depending on where this goes, that Groupblog could eventually become a conduit for some interesting roundtable discussions on the state of the media and the role of syndicated writers and cartoonists in it. That's getting a little ahead of ourselves, however.

First, some introductions. I'm James Hill, managing editor of The Writers Group, and I'll be posting most of the time. But I hope you'll also hear from Alan Shearer, our editorial director, and others on our staff including Karisue Wyson, North American sales manager, and Amy Lago, comics editor.

We'll post items about our writers and cartoonists, and share many anecdotes about their experiences in newsgathering. We'll also try to stay on top of developments within the news business, including highlights of the major conventions such as the upcoming annual meeting of the American Society of Newspaper Editors or next fall's gathering of the National Conference of Editorial Writers.

But that's just for starters. As they say about the Internet, anything is possible. So keep coming back to Groupblog to see where we are heading.

James Hill is managing editor for The Washington Post Writers Group.