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Grand Forks paper to go online

  • Published
  • By Tech. Sgt. Rob Mims
  • 319th Air Refueling Wing Public Affairs
An era will come to an end Dec. 22 when the base newspaper, "The Leader," hits the streets for the last time.

The Air Force is phasing out traditional newspapers in favor of Web-based products indicated senior Air Force leaders. Starting in January, readers will get their information from the Grand Forks AFB public Web site and the new "The Leader Online," a weekly e-mail.

The Public Affairs staff is among the first within Air Mobility Command to make such a transition, primarily due to PA personnel reductions and increased deployment operations tempo Air Force wide.

"The show must go on, and it's clear PA must adopt a new, sustainable way of keeping our readers informed. We believe Web-based technology is the answer," said Capt. Mike Chillstrom, 319th ARW Public Affairs chief.

The base's public Web site will be updated when new features, news stories and commentaries are developed. The other Web-based product, "The Leader Online," will be a weekly electronic newsletter containing a wide variety of base news, ultimately replacing the current daily administration messages.

Starting in January, "The Leader Online" will be sent every Thursday to all base personnel with a network user account. Retirees, family members and other civilians wanting to receive the weekly publication simply need to contact PA and be added to the distribution list. To subscribe, send an e-mail to leader@grandforks.af.mil; put "new address" in the subject line.

While the absence of a traditional newspaper may appear initially as an inconvenience to some, the benefits should be very evident.

Web-based information will be available to a wider audience (deployed members, retirees who live a considerable distance from base, and personnel on leave) and can be delivered in a more timely manner. With the current system, if a newsworthy event happens on a Wednesday, it may not appear in the base newspaper until the following week - about 10 days later.

People will get "The Leader Online" from a home or work computer without having to pick up a copy from a base distribution point. Base housing residents will no longer have to search for their paper in the morning after a wind gust or snowstorm.

"Our Air Force is in the dynamic process of transforming itself while simultaneously fighting a war," said Col. Diane Hull, 319th ARW commander. "This transformation requires us to question how we do business and sometimes opt for new and innovative ways to accomplish the mission rather than retaining legacy and often unsustainable processes."

The PA staff took such guidance to heart and is reinventing how to best serve the Warriors of North mission and its readers, Captain Chillstrom said.

"Former Secretary of Defense [Donald] Rumsfeld challenged the PA field to stop being a five and dime store in an eBay world," the captain said. "I think a lot of the resistance to change went away with that statement because it came down from the very top. It was a good wake-up call that we needed to be a modern-day force. Come Dec. 22, we'll bid a fond farewell to "The Leader" and welcome its successor in January."

To ensure the transformation is successful, PA asks that everyone help spread the word to Airmen, family members, and any retired members in the local area that the publication is now only accessible on the Web.

Information submitted for "The Leader Online" must be received by PA no later than the close of business on Wednesdays. Please contact PA at 747-5023 for more information.