SOUTHEAST MISSOURIAN CONTINUES ITS COMMITMENT TO QUALITY

You've arrived at this page of the newspaper and, unless we've done our work very badly, you've probably noticed something. The Southeast Missourian, beginning with today's edition, has made a substantial change in its appearance. Obviously, we hope you like the new look. Beyond that, however, we would like our readers to know that regardless of this newspaper's style of presentation, the fundamental goal here will not change: The Southeast Missourian, since its founding in 1904, has been committed to its role as daily newspaper of this region. We will not waver in that responsibility.

Since the Naeter brothers gave life to this publication not long after the turn of the century, it has had a number of different looks. No doubt those pioneers of publishing would be stunned by the technology used in putting together today's Southeast Missourian. The arduous undertaking of getting type in place for a sluggish press run has given way to computer pagination. The photographs that appeared in soft focus in the early decades of this publication now will never appear on photographic paper; instead, they are scanned electronically, sized by software and transferred to film a couple of steps removed from the press ... and in full color.

This industry, like so many others, is experiencing a wide range of changes fueled by new technology. Some things, though, don't change. Much as we might marvel at these new toys, all are just tools. If we print a beautiful photograph, but misidentify its subject or mischaracterize what it portrays, we have failed at our job. If we write a headline in the most eye-pleasing type style at our disposal, yet neglect to present in it the import of a given story, we have not conducted our business properly. If we consistently publish stories whose facts are erroneous, whose content is superficial and whose emphasis is misdirected, the manner in which we present it won't matter.

We will not engage this newspaper in an exercise of style when we know what our readers want is substance. We want the newspaper to be attractive, we want it to be accessible and we want it to represent the best efforts of the highly skilled people who work in this operation. On the news staff of the Southeast Missourian are journalists whose cumulative newspaper experience tops 225 years. We are proud of what we've done to improve this product, yet ultimately the character of this newspaper will be determined by the way news is reported.

In this regard, we have taken the opportunity presented by this changing technology to evaluate the news product. We believe the special pages that will be a regular part of our coverage (from health to education to arts) will enhance the newspaper and benefit the readers. We are making a concerted effort to strengthen our coverage of regional events; we want all residents of Southeast Missouri and Southern Illinois to feel at home with this publication. We are adding features and commiting more news space. The new design represents only part of the effort we're making here to improve the Southeast Missourian.

There is an old saying about the hard work of others, one that may or may not ring true on an obstetrics ward: People don't want to hear about the labor pains, they just want to see the baby. In recent weeks, people at the Southeast Missourian have pondered such exotic words as xtags, ethernet and kerning. Few people reading this care about such things. What they do care about is getting a fair, thorough, reliable accounting of life and events in this region. Our commitment to providing that has not changed. We believe our changes only enhance that mission.