Leonard Downie, Jr., executive editor of the Washington Post, has distributed a memo to the newspaper’s editorial staff, which has been picked and up published by Editor & Publisher.
“Readership and economic challenges remain daunting,” Downey wrote. “We must produce high quality, compelling journalism and carry out our public service mission while adjusting our cost structure to shifting advertising revenues.”
Adjusting our cost structure. I like that. I should have used that line when I had to cut costs and lay off employees at Virginia Business magazine.
But it’s not just about cutting costs, Downie insisted. It’s all about making the newspaper better. On the cost-cutting side, the WaPo will shrink newsroom staff through attrition as low priority positions become vacant. He did not provide a specific number of positions to be attrited. On the making-the-newspaper-better side, staffers will be reassigned from general assignment positions to specific assignments and beats.
In form, our priorities include original reporting, scoops, analysis, investigations and criticism.
As opposed to what other priorities? Rewriting press releases? Fabricating news? Masquerading personal opinion as news coverage?
In content, they include politics, government accountability, economic policy and what our readers need to know about the world – plus local government, schools, transportation, public safety, development, immigrant communities, health care, sports, arts and entertainment.
Personally, I think the WaPo reporters covering Virginia state/local government are doing a reasonably good job. If I were in Downie’s office, I’d start by whacking the guys who write the editorials.