Dear reader

I have no doubt that Columbia will be a different place four years after the election. Which candidate is promoting the policies that will leave mid-Missouri residents better off four years from now? 

In a week filled with Ike floodwaters, a drowning death an a fight that spread across a large swath of downtown, the Missourian helped citizens separate rumor from fact and put events in context.

Two people with completely different attachments to the Missourian — one of a lifetime, the other of a moment — see something special in this not-so-old publication.

Centennial celebration showscases great students from the past. One panel this week featured four former Missourian reporters who have gone on to win journalism’s highest honor, the Pulitzer prize.

This week, a number of our graduates who have become editors, won Pulitzers or daily their communities to know themselves better, will be here. You helped teach all of them. You answered their questions — and sometimes refused, which was another important lesson — you filled in missing background, and you challenged them.

When the Missourian suddenly didn't have bloggers from the RNC, editor Jake Sherlock scrambled to keep the opinion page balanced.

As rumors swirl of its demise, the record needs to be set straight on just what is going on with the Columbia Missourian.

Columnist Tom Warhover shares his thoughts on the new design of ColumbiaMissourian.com and adds suggestions.

Anyone can blog a rumor, but a good journalist presents verified information.

The story from the judge's table is different than the story covered by the reporter.

The new design of our Web site was launched Tuesday night. Help us work out the bugs. Is it working? Are you having trouble viewing a story or video? Please go here to leave a comment, share your ideas for future improvements and see what others have to say.

Improved access to advertising, photos, multimedia, stories and blogs are just a few of the improvements being made on ColumbiaMissourian.com.

The Columbia Missourian is sponsoring “Watching the Watchdogs,” community forums meant to better understand the role that media should serve in our changing democracy. To what extent should voices in the community be required to identify themselves, and to what extent should they remain mere voices?

Columbia Police originally refused to release the name of Cortez Johnson, the 2-year-old who was found dead this week.

What motivates readers to choose the stories they choose? That’s the topic ofthis summer’s “Watching the Watchdog” events.

A former Columbia KOMU/Channel 8 anchor talks about the devastation of flooding in Iowa, and how journalists are helping keep residents informed.

New ideas come from a conference focused on civic media and people-to-people journalism.

A merger with the Tribune would cut costs for the Columbia Missourian while maintaining the mission of the MU journalism school.

After we ran an Associated Press story that identified bird deaths as one of the downsides of wind energy, one reader pointed out that wind turbines aren’t as detrimental to birds as many people think.