To Our Readers

One might ask: Why the change?

First, we detect demand for more information. Life has been speeding up; the pace of change seems especially quick in government. Reorganization, transformation, civil service reform, technology advancement and pressing national security demands are shaking things up from day to day. It's difficult, but essential, to keep up with these and other trends that affect one's working life. A recent survey of our readers documented a thirst for more of the kind of news and context Government Executive has long provided.

There is a conflicting trend: People are starved for time in their daily lives. Serious reading is often sacrificed under pressure of work and family obligations. "Time famine" is what we've labeled the problem as we look over the results of surveys of subscribers to our publications. So that is a second issue we have sought to address.

Here's the problem in a nutshell, as we see it: People need more information, but have less time to consume it.

In the course of thinking about this problem over the past year, we decided that we could address it with two important changes in our modus operandi. They will be on full display in two weeks' time. But I thought it would be useful to give you, our valued subscribers, a bit of an advance (as we say in the news business) on what to expect.

First, we have commissioned an ambitious redesign of the magazine. There will be better photo-graphy, improved graphics and more imaginative design to give readers a more visually exciting experience. We have made it easier to grasp quickly the essence of stories through use of various typographical and visual devices. You will see cleaner, more open, easier-to-read pages. The magazine will have more clearly defined sections for ease of navigation. And within each section, we will be telling stories more concisely.

A new News & Analysis section will provide timely reports about the issues at the top of federal leaders' priority lists. In this section, too, we'll offer more profiles on key players and people in the hot seat inside government's agencies.

Second, we have committed to increasing the frequency of the magazine. Starting this month and running through the fall, we will be publishing on a biweekly schedule. This means you will receive 21 issues this year, up from 17 in 2003. But the change is greater than the numbers indicate, since five of last year' issues were devoted to single topics, while every issue this year will treat a wide variety of subjects.

So in sum, we will offer a quicker read on a greater range of topics every other week.

We are excited by the opportunities these changes give us to tell the story of government and its people. And we look forward to your reaction.

With best regards,