Dear Reader

Every day, journalists are asked to become "instant experts" on any number of topics. Missourian reporter Brian Nordli learned that first-hand this week.

In last month's Missourian, a photo ran that later appeared to be digitally altered. It has since been removed from the newspaper's Web site, but it offers some valuable lessons about scrutinizing photos just as much as the articles themselves.

Missourian's Neighborhood Newsletters has been fairly successful so far — e-mail newsletters are now delivered to 10 neighborhoods, and almost 1,000 people have subscribed.

U.S. media take no notice as the director of an independent Cuban news agency is sent to prison for three years and the Comittee to Protect Journalists reports that 22 journalists are in prison on the island.

State-sanctioned executions are the government's ultimate expression of power, and therefore newspapers bear the responsibility of shining a light on the event.

Stuart Carlson's editorial cartoon on tea parties was published not as an endorsement by the Missourian, but because it was a reflection of how some members of the media reacted to the protesters.

Columbia Tomorrow, a site about development in Columbia, was developed to keep residents in the know about decisions that affect the way we live in mid-Missouri.

Missourian reporters worked on the transportation development districts story for eight months, reviewing about 10,000 pages of documents and interviewing key players.

New regulations for the ColumbiaMissourian.com comments section aim to clean up the site and improve readers' experiences.

The imprisonment of U.S. correspondent Roxana Saberi in Iran poses a threat to openness of information everywhere.

While the work of editing copy has changed along with most other newspaper jobs, its function remains consistent. If anything, copy editors have an increased responsibility to enhance readers' understanding of news content.

Two recent studies show how newspapers give readers the chance to question and react.

Journalists who witness tragic circumstances over and over can become immune. But Missourian reporter Christine Martinez used the tools of her craft to weave a touching story of a woman and her daughter-in-law struggling to care for two young boys, a rundown trailer and a pile of medical and funeral bills.

Having the interim police chief join the community conversation in such a thoughtful way is refreshing to see.

The Missourian's article Thursday made sense of the many subplots in MU athletics.

The Opinion page at the Missourian should require real names behind all opinions and all rumors should be scrutinized.

We've revamped our opinion section. Let us know what you think about it, or any of our articles, by commenting on the Web site or e-mailing us at letters@ColumbiaMissourian.com.

With the recent drop in weekly publishing, the Missourian takes time to beef up on sports reporting and acknowledge even the rarest of topics.

The two words — open government — don't always go together. Fight for transparency with the new schools superintendent and new police chief.

Jefferson City's move to all-syndicate radio is cause for fear at Columbia's KFRU.