Our readers have been patient this fraught February. But now, they want to get back to the ÃÛèÖÖ±²¥ they know and love, not the reconfigured editions affected by the ongoing impacts of a cyberattack that has crippled our parent company’s production systems.
They are making that clear.
David McCumber
“I understand you … were hacked and salute the efforts of all the staff. But it has been a few weeks. What is the timeline for a return to full publication?†wrote Tim Mirochna this week.
“I’ve been receiving the ÃÛèÖÖ±²¥ for 20 years and have enjoyed it. I’m not enjoying it anymore. I know you had a problem, but it should be fixed by now,†added Patricia McClincy.
“Exactly how long does it take to fix a newspaper that’s been hacked?†asks Mina Parish. “I love the newspaper. I read every section of it and I want it all there.â€
People are also reading…
Thank you, Tim. I agree, Patricia. That’s a great question, Mina.
Here’s what I can tell you, and the rest of our readers:
To recap, a Feb. 3 cybersecurity attack shut down many of the systems our company, Lee Enterprises, uses to produce the Star and many other newspapers. Even getting the paper printed at all was a huge accomplishment. Teams worked through the night to develop a new way to print the newspaper. Everything from placing stories, obituaries and ads in the newspaper to delivering pages to the press needed a new process, and most of the work had to be done by hand. This significantly increased the time it took to put a paper together — but it worked, to a point.
In order to get you the most important news, we have had to produce a smaller paper each day, and we start earlier in the day. That means that late-breaking stories and some features you have come to expect have not made it into the printed paper or the e-edition.
The latest local news, sports and lifestyle stories continue to be posted all day and night on .
You can subscribe to newsletters that alert you to the latest news, and find us on Facebook, X and Instagram. But we want the content in the newspaper too.
NOT the new normal
Many of you have asked if these changes in the newspaper are permanent. I assure you, this is NOT the new normal. We have every intention of returning to our previous format.
So here’s what we’re doing. Our newspaper and e-edition pages are normally designed by journalists working at an out-of-state regional center. Without their usual systems, they were overwhelmed, which is why we’ve had to reconfigure our newspaper.
We have decided to help our design center by taking some pages and designing them here in our ÃÛèÖÖ±²¥ operation. We’ll still have part of the paper designed remotely, but part will be done here, starting with this coming Tuesday’s editions. That means that starting then, we’ll be able to return to our normal configuration and come very close to our usual size.
It’s not a perfect way to publish a newspaper. But it’s the way we have. And it will at last give our print customers something much closer to the experience they are used to.
We couldn’t just wait
We know from covering other businesses who have been victims of cyberattacks that a full recovery can take several months. But we just couldn’t wait that long to make our print product better.
The news isn’t all gloomy. We have already made progress on restoring systems and hope to return to normal workflows within a few weeks.
Many readers asked why we continue to run ads in the newspaper when there is less space for news. Just as we have a responsibility to readers, we owe it to advertisers to fulfill our obligations to them. Also, many readers want to read the advertisements right along with the news.
Reasonably, you want to know whether your personal data was impacted. No conclusive evidence indicates that to be the case, but Lee Enterprises continues to investigate and is working with law enforcement.
Our company’s newspaper editors, including myself, have been humbled to see so many of our colleagues pull together to continue to publish trusted, essential local news. People in other departments have taken on new duties and worked into the wee hours of the morning to help. Designers have worked long hours with no complaints, staying until the last page went to press.
You have kept us focused. You want to be informed about your community. You want all the features you love, and we’re sorry for the disruption in your routine. We appreciate your patience and support, and we will not stop working until we bring everything back to you.
Starting Tuesday, you’ll see a much more recognizable version of the ÃÛèÖÖ±²¥, and we won’t stop working until our publishing abilities are completely restored. So we can get on with the business of being the best local news source available.
Thank you, again, readers and advertisers, for your patience. You are the best.
David McCumber is executive editor of the ÃÛèÖÖ±²¥.
