For many readers, their daily newspaper is like that old buddy from high school: Year after year, he keeps showing up on your doorstep. And year after year, you keep letting him in.
Unfortunately, he’s also like an old buddy that tends to really annoy you. Especially when he changes.
For old pals of The Plain Dealer, the most recent annoyance has been induced by the paper’s front page, which has undergone a makeover unseen since Ricki Lake took the buffet table out of her shower. Life-size photos and dizzying graphics, visible from space, now anchor the front page. National news has all but vanished. Lighter features and commentary are more often prominent. And sports have found a permanent, loving home there. The paper even recently violated the 7th Commandment of Journalism: Thou Shall Not Put Bud Shaw on A-1…
This article appears in Jan 16-22, 2008.