A new look: The Christian Science Monitor weekly edition
The weekly edition of The Christian Science Monitor, launched in April 2009, gets a new look beginning with the April 9, 2012, issue. With almost three years of regular input from readers, the editors are now seeking to create a more engaging magazine and, at the same time, introduce some efficiencies to boost the Monitor’s overall financial stability. Clayton Collins, the weekly edition’s editor, answered questions about some of the upcoming changes.
What new features are in the redesign?
The most exciting innovation grew naturally out of our need to operate with more efficiency. Our new eight-page One Week section selects the best of a week’s Monitor reporting online—hundreds of stories—and packages it in ways that add context and meaning. It’s energetic, a broad survey. There are other places in the issue to dive deeper into the news. And throughout the publication the old section borders between World and US News fall away to connect the whole story. That just seemed to be progressive, a right idea.
What inspired you to redesign the weekly magazine?
Preview of new cover design
A smaller format—still 48 pages, but in a more standard magazine size—will save a great deal in paper, printing, and distribution costs. While deciding to change the page size, we knew we would have to design a product that readers valued more, not less.
Further, we gave a lot of thought to creating a look that would play well on tablets (like the iPad) and e-readers, where we see growth potential. Our goal is to deliver—on paper or digitally—a rich “print experience” that complements CSMonitor.com, the wide-reaching, modern manifestation of the daily newspaper that Mary Baker Eddy founded in 1908.
Did you incorporate reader feedback into the redesign?
Absolutely. We had the benefit of nearly three years of subscriber surveys. Over time we had begun to see patterns. Interestingly, readers often pointed to what we already saw as our core strength—an explanatory approach to global news, with front-line reporting—and asked for more. That suits us. To raise understanding in that way is a big step toward fulfilling our founder’s mandate “to bless all mankind.” The next step is up to readers as they direct their actions and their prayers.
What features are exclusive to the magazine?
First in print, we have In Pictures, our popular center spread with visual storytelling from our photo department. Next, we have a set of deep-dive, long-form reported stories in what we’re calling the Focus section. Then come cover stories, which will also still typically appear first in the weekly. Even though we’re drawing on some great stories from the Monitor’s website, the weekly remains the place for subscribers to get a one-stop read that pulls it all together.
What features have you altered, or dropped, to better serve readers?
There are many enhancements, beginning with the table of contents. Design Director John Kehe has added a world map marked with the points from which we have coverage, reinforcing the scope of our mission. We’ve replaced The News in Brief with a new staff column that surveys and connects what others are reporting. We’ve also added a high-impact, full-page news photo feature. The new One Week section has absorbed the Dispatches section. We’ve increased the footprint of our signature “People Making a Difference” story, adding suggestions for readers to engage more deeply with the story. The Culture and Money sections have been condensed. And the Home Forum will carry fewer essays, but more from the authors our readers love most.
What features are staying the same?
The weekly Monitor won’t look unfamiliar. The tone-setting column by Editor John Yemma remains out front. The best of our reader-tested “franchises”—Why It Matters boxes, Progress Watch pieces, and Briefings, to name a few—remain. The Christian Science Perspective, of course, still rounds out each issue. The overriding effect: There’s more of our core, more Christian Science Monitor journalism. The result, we think, is a more engaging weekly. We hope that readers (including many new ones) think so, too.
