Toronto Star publisher John Cruickshank used Monday's paper to announce some changes in the paper's design.

From the Jan. 26 Toronto Star:

Today we are making changes in the presentation of news, features and commentary in your Toronto Star to guarantee that our priorities are lined up with your needs.

You will discover three big differences: The editorial page, letters and columns of analysis are returning to the A section of the newspaper as is world news. Our major features and news profiles focused on Greater Toronto will now be found in their own section, usually the second section of the paper. Most days, the Greater Toronto section will also contain the daily pages commemorating births, anniversaries, awards and graduations as well as obituaries and death notices. ...

... You have asked that the A section reflect the most significant breaking news happening anywhere in the world.

Cruickshank outlined the ways the paper tries to stay in touch:

We already have many ways of sampling your views. From telephone calls and letters to an online advisory panel, we are always looking for ways to keep our content fresh, relevant and powerfully presented.

Please do not stop contributing your views. Good newspapers become great when they forge, and continually renew, a partnership with their readers. At the Star, that is our goal every day.

There were a number of commenters, but Cruickshank didn't contribute to that discussion.

I was intrigued by comments such as this:

The Feedback from the Comments over the last year should indicate to The Star that many readers are actually right of center in their views. It would seem that providing more balance in your reporting would be a good business decision.

That came from JNG . I wonder if s/he also leaves comments at the National Post to ask for "balance" in the reporting there. :)

ScottD said:

Sanity> all papers have a bias. Go read something else.

Straight Shooter said:

Stop attacking the Conversative Party while praying/worshiping the Liberal party. Treat each party the EXACT same, with the same number of positive and negative articles

I wish editors would address this notion of what constitutes fairness in reporting in terms of their publication. But in the Star's case, it's reasonably upfront about where the paper is coming from. It does have the Atkinson Principles, after all.

However, if people paid their 75 cents or clicked through, they have every right to say what they want.