I am the new readers’ representative at the Daily. If you are wondering what that means exactly, you are not alone. When I told my friends and family about my new job, the universal response has been a humbling, “What does that mean?”

Simply put, my job at the Daily is to make sure readers are getting what they want and deserve from their newspaper. My work will include writing about the Daily itself, making sure your letters to the editor are well represented and tracking down mistakes made in the process of putting together the newspaper.

I am in the journalism school, but I have never been a reporter. Thus, I come into the Daily as a fresh face, eager to make this newspaper better than ever in serving its readership. But I will need your input.

My job is meaningless if people who read the newspaper don’t act when they have a problem or question.

So feel free to send me an e-mail with a question about the Daily you’d like answered.

Articles
I am your independent source within the Daily. If there is something that you think was covered incorrectly, let me know. If the Daily runs a story that you think was in poor taste, let me know. Or, if you think the Daily did a terrific job on something, let me know. I will make sure these opinions are kept in the minds of the editors when they make tough decisions.

Letters to the editor

I have been on the job only a few days, but I have been struggling to fill the Letters to the Editor section. If you have an opinion but think that it will be a waste of your time to send it to me, think again. I publish as many letters as I can and there is no reason to think that you won’t get printed.

The letters will always be reflective of what is in the in-box. If it upsets you that liberal ideas dominate our letters section, please write in with a conservative one. The only way the paper will change is with your input.

I love reading letters to the editor, regardless of the specific opinion.

So please write in with your thoughts, be they liberal, conservative, socialist, libertarian or whatever. I am not going to dismiss any of them based on politics. Send them to [email protected].

Corrections
All corrections go through me as well. Reporters are generally trying their hardest to put together a good story without mistakes. But it is my job to make sure that this general truth applies to everyone.

I update a database of people who made mistakes and what kinds of mistakes are being made. If there is a recurring problem, I will be on top of it and the editors will know. Mistakes damage the paper’s credibility. Send information regarding any corrections you think need to be remedied to [email protected].

We are going to find out about the Daily together. I will learn all that I can about how this newspaper operates and will fill you in on any of the details you would like to hear about.

So I’ll just be sitting here, poised over my keyboard, waiting for you to tell me.

Tim Franzen is the readers’ representative. He welcomes comments at [email protected].