New, but still true: The People's Paper

IN THE late 1970s, despite the fact that I was an awkward adolescent whose vertical leap barely cleared a sheet of loose-leaf paper, I still thought I could one day be Julius Erving. As I came to sad terms with my own lack of coordination, these very pages provided relief and a sense of direction. Here, I lost myself in the loud, passionate debates of my hometown. (I'm still pissed that Shero bailed on us - and for the Rangers, no less.)

Well, welcome to the Daily News: The Next Generation. We're going to stay true to the inspiring tradition of this paper - while updating our approach for the times. In addition to our mainstay sports coverage and investigative reporting, we're going to give you the people who make this exasperating, but always interesting, city what it is; we're going to tweak the powerful, gossip about the cool kids and the self-important alike, and always, always remember that we work for you.

When Pat Croce took over the 76ers in the '90s, he declared himself a mere caretaker of a public trust. That's how I look at this adventure. That's why, today, we've changed our tagline on the front page from "The People Paper" to "The People's Paper"- a subtle, but important, reminder that we have an obligation to crusade on your behalf by speaking truth to power and eschewing "he said/she said" neutrality. That's also why I want to hear what you have to say about your hometown newspaper. If you can put together a group of 10 to 20 Daily News readers, we will welcome you to our newsroom so a group of editors can hear you out. We'll even provide the pizza. (E-mail me at lplatt@ phillynews.com to set it up.)

Here are just some of the changes to come. I'm honored to announce that Pulitzer Prize winner and best-selling author Buzz Bissinger will serve as an editorial adviser and occasional columnist in our pages. I've known Buzz for nearly 20 years; he's passionate and inspiring, and often outraged.

Speaking of loud voices, tomorrow marks the debut of our new sports columnist - none other than Ed Rendell. Some 15 years ago, I sat with Rendell in the mayor's box at Veterans Stadium while the Eagles waged a furious on-field comeback. He stood up, hoagie innards spewing from his mouth, while he pounded the Plexiglas separating his box from that of then-new owner Jeffrey Lurie, trying to get Lurie and his nonplussed guests to join him in full-throated cheer. Lurie placidly kept his eyes glued to the field. Finally, waving in disgust, Rendell returned to his seat, saying, "This is the football box; that's the quiche-eaters' box." As we know by now, none of that passion has waned in the intervening years. I look forward to our Fan-In-Chief surprising and amusing us in print every week. (Full disclosure: Rendell appears to still be in governor mode, as he's vetoed my suggestion that we call his column "The Wuss-Free Zone.")

In addition, because we're going to be pushing journalistic boundaries, it's important that we remain introspective and thoughtful. Consequently, I'm pleased to announce that legendary Daily News alum and Pulitzer Prize winner Richard Aregood has agreed to pen a monthly Public Editor column in our pages. Rich, now a journalism professor, will have the independence to criticize our decisions and us.

Finally, in keeping with our tradition of being the region's authoritative sports voice, today we debut our monthly sports calendar. Our experts will lay out for you the can't-miss sports events and happenings each month, making it easier than ever to get your sports Jones on.

You know, I was a reader of this newspaper when Bill Conlin reinvented the baseball game story, when Zack Stalberg caught a mayor in a bald-faced lie, when Pete Dexter gave voice to the voiceless, when Chuck Stone relentlessly spoke truth to power, and, more recently, when Wendy Ruderman and Barbara Laker fearlessly exposed abuses of power. None of these journalistic tree-shakers were blindly wedded to formula. They were all heart, like a great city tabloid has to be. They had the arrogance to trust their collective gut - again, just like a great tabloid. They were storytellers who told the tales of their times and let the chips fall where they might. So what's old is new again; some of the names may have changed, but this iteration of the Daily News will stay true to that tradition by refusing to be ignored and by setting out to change this fascinating, quirky and maddening city for the better.