Alan Achkar

St. Louis

Executive Editor at St. Louis Post-Dispatch

Executive Editor, St. Louis Post-Dispatch/stltoday.com. Flailing with the chaos of 3 children. Cleveland fan who sees the merits of Cardinal red.

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Articles

Yes, the Post-Dispatch print edition has been different lately. Here’s why.

2 months ago | stltoday.com | Alan Achkar

Most newspaper readers have a can’t-miss feature or section they start with each morning. When that feature is missing from the paper, it’s frustrating. And yes, the Post-Dispatch print edition hasn’t quite looked or felt the same over the last three weeks. We understand the frustration, and we’re working to fix it. If you missed the news, a Feb. 3 cybersecurity attack shut down many of the systems our owner, Lee Enterprises, uses to produce the newspaper.
St. Louis Post-Dispatch to outsource printing operations to Columbia

Oct 15, 2024 | columbiamissourian.com | Alan Achkar

By Alan Achkar The St. Louis Post-Dispatch in January will stop using its current presses to print the daily newspaper and will outsource printing to a facility in Columbia. This will, of course, represent a big change for the newspaper, which has been printed in St. Louis throughout its 146-year history. It's not a decision our company made lightly but comes at a time when reading habits continue to shift to digital platforms.
Post-Dispatch to outsource printing operations to Columbia, Mo.

Oct 14, 2024 | stltoday.com | Alan Achkar

The St. Louis Post-Dispatch in January will stop using its current presses to print the daily newspaper and will outsource printing to a facility in Columbia, Mo.This will, of course, represent a big change for the newspaper, which has been printed in St. Louis throughout its 146-year history. It’s not a decision our company made lightly but comes at a time when reading habits continue to shift to digital platforms.
No print edition of the Post-Dispatch on July 4th. Puzzles, comics to run a day early.

Jun 20, 2024 | stltoday.com | Alan Achkar

We in the news industry have grown accustomed to change. We’ve had to continually re-think how we deliver news and where readers want to read (or view or listen to) that news. Today, the vast majority of U.S. adults say they often or sometimes get news from a smartphone or tablet. The Post-Dispatch, like all news organizations, has had to change and adapt as our readers’ habits evolved and the media landscape posed new challenges.
At the Post-Dispatch, a story-by-story push to earn trust. And a 'love for reporting.'

Feb 28, 2024 | stltoday.com | Alan Achkar

A local teacher recently wrote me about her son, a fifth-grader, starting a newspaper with some classmates. This was not a class assignment or school project. They acted on their own initiative, she said, with self-taught lessons on the tools of journalism as they wrote about school events. And she mentioned the students' "love for reporting."It was a remarkable email, and not just because a group of children showed great initiative.