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Published on March 5, 2008

In rethinking the newspaper, the editors have emphasised the importance of business and political news, especially Thai coverage of such news, but with saturated coverage of financial and political news globally.

We live in a fast-moving global society, where the world becomes the neighbourhood. In terms of business coverage, it is difficult to separate the local from the global, as one impacts the other tremendously and quickly.

Thus, the newly designed Nation will serve its strength daily on pages that have been designed to accommodate readers of the "always-on" culture - those who move fast through the pages, and, in the case of business readers, who come to the newspaper already aware of many of the main headlines of the day.

The new design emphasises quick navigation - starting on page one, the reader will find a daily summary of the main stories in a vertical column to the left of the page. This is a sort of mini newspaper on the page, allowing scanners to get a sense of what is in the news before they even finish their first cup of coffee.

The editors also emphasise special navigational devices for "stories not to miss". All of these are our efforts to accommodate a reader who we know has less and less time, but who needs desperately to be well informed.

Inside, hierarchy rules each page. We have devised a system of headline sizes, use of colour and story structures that indicate, by length and positioning, the importance that each story has on the page.

Perhaps the most interesting and innovative aspect of this makeover is the presence of the vibrant, youthful and colorful Daily Xpress tabloid inside The Nation, to complete the package and offer general news, entertainment and sports in a vibrant manner rarely seen in Thailand and which will invite readers to enjoy perusing their paper.

Two in one. A win-win situation. A historical moment for Thailand comes today, as The Nation becomes the elite business and politics daily report, while the Daily Xpress completes the unique formula with a colourful package of general news, entertainment and sports.

(Mario Garcia, CEO and founder of Garcia Media)

The Nation