In an email to subscribers, Times editor John Witherow explained the changes:
“You will observe today (2 June) that the leading articles are no longer on this page and have moved to page 26, sitting alongside Letters. This is part of a series of changes to your newspaper affecting the Opinion pages.
I’m particularly pleased that new writers will be joining these pages and that some of our regular writers will be appearing more frequently. Roger Boyes, Gaby Hinsliff, Oliver Kamm and Matt Ridley will be new columnists and Justin Webb will be an occasional contributor. Gaby and Oliver will be writing weekly notebooks while Matt Ridley, author of the superb book The Rational Optimist, will be writing every Thursday about science, politics and the economy. Justin Webb, the Radio 4 Today presenter, will be drawing on his time as the BBC’s North American editor and will be providing insights into American society and culture. Roger Boyes, one of The Times’s most distinguished foreign correspondents, will be commenting about Europe and global affairs.
I’m also pleased to say that some of your favourite Times writers will be appearing twice a week. Matthew Parris already writes a notebook in addition to his Saturday column. From this week, David Aaronovitch, Daniel Finkelstein and Janice Turner will be writing diary-style pieces as well as their columns.
I’ve decided to move the leaders back in the paper because readers have been finding it perplexing to read editorials on current affairs before they’ve read the underlying news story. Now you will be able to read the news story before the leader, certainly on home affairs. The leading articles will remain the beating heart of the newspaper, calling on the considerable expertise of our leader writers, and providing The Times’s considered view on great issues of the day. It also means we can use pages two and three to project big breaking stories.
The Times is different from Britain’s other newspapers. Most are dominated by voices from the Left or Right. In contrast, readers of The Times can find a variety of opinions from across the political spectrum. That adds up to a more intellectually stimulating experience. The new contributors will ensure we provide you with more comment on foreign affairs, science, ethics and economics. Pages that include the outstanding Giles Coren and Hugo Rifkind will always be stimulating.
In addition, Simon Barnes, Philip Collins, Ben Macintyre, Tim Montgomerie, Libby Purves, Rachel Sylvester and Alice Thomson will continue to provide insight and sparkle. They are joined elsewhere in the paper by such remarkable writers as Michael Atherton, Robert Crampton, Matt Dickinson, Carol Midgley, Caitlin Moran, Richard Morrison, Melanie Reid, Giles Smith, Matthew Syed and Sarah Vine. Sport will add Mike Brearley, the former England cricket captain, and Paul Ackford, the ex-England rugby player, as columnists.
We will continue to use a wide range of outside commentators who are authoritative in their fields and hold strong and interesting views. A new comment blog and weekly podcast will be available for our online readers. The pages will continue to be graced by the best political cartoonists in the business, the award-winning Peter Brookes and Morten Morland. I’m confident that the overall mix will ensure The Times remains the leading platform for comment in any British newspaper.”
