As Detroit's two daily newspapers became the most prominent to curtail their print editions, an organization of newspaper editors moved Tuesday to drop "paper" from its name.
The American Society of Newspaper Editors scheduled an April vote in Chicago to become simply the American Society of News Editors. Under the proposed changes, which require membership approval, editors of news Web sites also would be permitted to join, as would leaders of journalism programs.
"More and more, news organizations are not defined by `daily,'" Charlotte Hall, the Reston, Va.-based organization's president, said Tuesday in a letter to members.
ASNE, founded in 1922, currently describes itself as an organization for editors of the nation's "daily newspapers."
Its board unanimously recommended the changes.
The Detroit Free Press and The Detroit News announced Tuesday they will slash home delivery to three days a week, print small editions for sale on newsstands on other days and encourage people to get information online.
Papers in smaller towns have made similar moves.
The Daily Tribune in Royal Oak, a Detroit suburb, recently cut its print edition to four days a week from six. In Arizona, the East Valley Tribune near Phoenix next year plans to have print editions on four days instead of seven. The afternoon newspaper in Madison, Wis., shifted to being an Internet publication this year, except for twice-weekly free print editions.
The Christian Science Monitor recently said it would become the first national newspaper to drop its daily print edition and focus on publishing online.
"The proposals brought forth by the board recognize that the business of journalism, no surprise to you, has changed and that ASNE also needs to change to better serve our members, our industry and our craft," Hall said in her letter to members.
