How we've changed since Sept. 11

We publish community newspapers so our focus has always been local news. National and international news has had a place in our news columns, but in summary form and of lower priority.

Sept. 11, 2001, changed the way we view our national and world report. The terrorist attacks and the war on terror have brought world affairs closer to home and have impacted our readers in countless ways. All our lives have changed, and a new role for our newspapers is to help our readers understand the post-Sept.11 America and help them navigate this new world and cope with the new realities.

For Sept. 11, 2002, we're planning an eight-page broadsheet special section that will be published in the Eastside Journal and South County Journal. It will be full color, no advertising, with the theme "How We've Changed." Because so much media - magazines, TV, Internet, you name it, including us leading up to Sept. 11 - will have covered most aspects of the event, we are going to concentrate on how we, in our area, have changed, as well as including thoughtful pieces from national figures. There will also be a special Page 1 dedicated to Sept. 11. In addition, throughout the paper, we will run the names of all those known to have died in the Sept. 11 attacks - it will "crawl" across about 2 ½ inches of the top of most every page in our paper (except classifieds).

One of the most dramatic reactions to Sept. 11 was the patriotic outpouring and the display of a devotion to faith. They helped bring our nation closer together. These feelings have always existed in our communities, but many of us in the news business have taken them for granted and considered them no longer worthy of reporting. Not so anymore. The patriotism and faith demonstrated during these past months have helped define the post-Sept. 11 America and have reminded us of the values upon which our nation was built. Now they help define our news coverage as well.