At the most recent meeting of The N&O Community Panel (what's that? See below), the question came up: How does The N&O decide what to cover in Eastern North Carolina these days?

It's a timely question. The News & Observer's coverage of "Down East" has changed, both over the long haul and recently. Let's take a look.

Within the past few months, the paper has re-deployed resources for Eastern North Carolina coverage. The state editor, responsible for state coverage in general and the East particularly, recently was promoted and the position has not been filled. Similarly, the position of roving reporter, who covered issues outside the Triangle, became vacant and remains open.

John Drescher, The N&O's managing editor, says these changes don't reflect a de-emphasis of Down East coverage. The news department is evaluating all its positions, he said, to better align assignments with news coverage priorities. Other positions, such as demographics reporter and family reporter, also remain open.

Changes in The N&O's coverage of Eastern North Carolina are not a new phenomenon. Over the last 20 years, the paper has reduced circulation in the East. The number of subscribers in 27 counties east of Interstate 95 declined from 41,529 in 1985 to 20,579 in 2005.

This was mostly deliberate. Much of that circulation was unprofitable -- it cost more to deliver papers in those counties than subscribers and advertisers were willing to pay. So in the late 1980s, The N&O ended home delivery in most counties outside the Triangle.

That turns out to have been a good business decision, because the paper has more than made up for the lost circulation through gains in the fast-growing Triangle area, and it has shifted news resources accordingly. Now The N&O has reporters covering Durham, Orange, Chatham and Johnston counties whose jobs didn't exist 20 years ago. News positions also have been shifted to an expanding online newspaper.

Drescher, the managing editor, points out that the paper still covers Eastern North Carolina. There is a state edition aimed at readers outside the Triangle. Longtime reporter Jerry Allegood, working out of Greenville, is assigned to Eastern North Carolina.

"It's less likely that we'll do the small-bore stories that we would have done in the '80s," Drescher said, "but we still look at kind of large-impact stories in Eastern North Carolina."

Examples: Military reporter Jay Price regularly writes from and about the large bases in Fayetteville, Jacksonville, Goldsboro and Havelock. Price and Allegood examined rampant development in coastal counties in a series this summer. Investigative reporter Pat Stith wrote a series on drinking water concerns that originated with problems in Greenville.

What these stories have in common is that they appeal to an audience statewide, not just those who live in Eastern counties. I've had complaints from Down East readers that the paper hasn't given enough coverage to their local concerns, such as the Navy's proposed Outlying Landing Field in Washington County, allegations of corruption in the state ferry system and Kinston's success in attracting jet service.

I asked a number of Eastern North Carolina readers about The N&O's coverage. A consensus: they look to their local papers in towns like Greenville, Kinston and Rocky Mount for hometown coverage and to The N&O for state political coverage and for superior world and national news, lifestyle reporting, sports, business and commentary.

There were some well-founded complaints. The paper too often does not "bring back" for the Monday paper stories on college football games that ended too late to get into their early editions on Sunday. They'd like even more coverage of exploding development Down East.

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