So The Times has had a redesign (print edition) today. Probably this is being discussed on the Internet already; I haven't looked yet. The best development in my book is that the leaders (read 'blog posts' in today's language) are upgraded to the inside front cover. That's where they belong, in my opinion, to 'lead into' the day's edition, to give it its tone of the day. A redesign of a magazine or paper usually provides an excuse for the publication to look back at its past highlights, and to look forward to the future, and The Times is no exception with this fascinating historical article 'How the Thunderer felled a government and freed a pop star' (don't be put off by the title).
"If, one day in 1812, you decided to skip the leader column, you might have missed that the Prime Minister had been assassinated. It was only in a leader that The Times reported Spencer Perceval's murder. A mere prime ministerial resignation might not make it until paragraph three of a leader, even though the news was a Times exclusive. Similarly, one of the greatest scoops in this paper's history — the news that Robert Peel had decided to repeal the Corn Laws — appeared only in a leader. Over time, however, while leaders continued to provide fresh information along with opinion, the practice of using them to break big stories ceased. The reason for this change was a revolution in the treatment of news. Today's Times can be contrasted with the paper's report on the battle of Trafalgar. The news story ambled through the facts for several columns, informing readers only right at the end that Admiral Nelson had been killed."
Plenty of other fascinating nuggets at the link. Here's a short summary of all the new aspects, with an invitation to readers to comment online.
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