Our readers have spoken!
Our readers have spoken!
This is the fourth edition of Need to Know Around the World, which is the new name and look for Unfiltered News.
Last week, I asked for input on how you liked (or disliked) our new format. The overwhelming majority of those who responded said they thought the new format was great. You will find some of their comments in the Forum section of this edition.
However, there were a few negative comments that really caught my attention. Several readers said they found it difficult to track two columns of text, side-by-side, each with different subject matter.
I had to admit they had a good point. When we read a newspaper with multiple columns, we can glance from top to bottom of one column and then easily jump to the top of the next column. However, reading two columns on a computer screen is like reading a newspaper through a square hole in a piece of cardboard that slides over the page. It’s not the same experience.
The problem of dual columns manifested itself in other ways as well. With each passing month, more readers are viewing our publication on iPads and Smart Phones. Trying to crowd all this material into a small screen forces a re-arrangement of our material into patterns that can appear unintuitive and clumsy on mobile devices.
So, what to do? The fact that you are reading this means you already know that the layout has been returned to just one news column – the way it used to be. The result may be less graphically attractive, and the single column now is longer, but it insures that mobile devices will always start at the top of the news and progress from one section to the next in exactly the sequence intended.
I hope you approve – but be sure to let me know if you do not. This is a continuing experiment, and I am looking forward to learning from your experience.
G. Edward Griffin
2015 August 28