This is actually a couple weeks late. The Star named Sharon Burnside to replace ombudsman Don Sellar.

Burnside gets a new title: public editor. Here's an excerpt from her introductory column, published March 12:

As public editor of the Toronto Star, it is my purpose and privilege to represent readers and answer for the sins, insensitivities and oversights of the editorial department. I look forward to translating, too — helping readers understand how the newsroom operates and helping the newsroom understand readers.

The daily paper may land with a thump but its true commodity is fragile. Credibility is hard to win, easy to lose. It's won when we're thorough, nuanced, accurate and fair; lost when we spell a name wrong, paint the greys of the world black and white or overlook a whole story for a half tale.

I share your passion for newspapers. That is why nothing can be done about the swelled heart.

The introductory column never explained the title shift from ombudsman to public editor; is there a practical difference in the two roles? If not, why the title shift?

It explains the role thusly:

 The Toronto Star also has a Public Editor (formerly an Ombud) whose role includes serving as an advocate for readers and critiquing the work of the paper.

There is a "public editor" page: the web address is www.thestar.com/publiced

Funnily enough, it takes you to the Corrections page. There is no public editor link, labelled as such, in the left-hand navigation.

If you're casting about looking to see how you could report an error, you see a little box called Notice to Readers.

The Star's Bureau of Accuracy welcomes reader comments and complaints about news and feature content in the print and online editions.

Cool! But then you have to click through to a different page to find the contact info, all of which is contained in four paragraphs. If I was the Star, I would ditch the second page (although it does display an ad) and put that contact info directly on the Corrections home page.

And why don't they have a feedback button on every online story page? I suppose thestar.com's designers could argue that's why they have Corrections in the left-hand navigation, but it doesn't hint you can report corrections there. People might assume that's where you go to read previous ones.

While I've said some picky things here, keep in mind the Star is one of the few papers in North America that has a public editor; odd, considering the chronically ebbing credibility of newspapers, but I suppose those ombudsthingees do cost money. :)