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The meeting last week was part of a series in which N&O managers and editors go out into the community to have exchanges with readers. The 30 or so participants last week brought some important concerns to our attention, some of which we hear from other reader groups as well. You've heard them, too. The N&O:

• Reports too much negative news and not enough positive.

• Does not cover the events and activities of interest to them

• Does not report enough neighborhood news.

This group also had concerns more specific to African-Americans: The paper doesn't give enough attention to the historically black colleges -- news and sports. The N&O plays up crime, drugs and other bad news about blacks and doesn't highlight their achievements, especially among young people. It doesn't give enough attention to community priorities, such as the African-American Cultural Complex and a stadium that could be used by Shaw and St. Aug's.

I could debate some of these concerns -- the paper provides a lot more "good" news than it's given credit for, and particularly with The N&O Web site it's giving increasing attention to grass-roots community news.

But we do need to have our consciousness raised from time to time about the role that the newspaper plays in identifying key economic, social and political issues of this community -- any community -- and keeping them before the public.

Dan Coleman, president of the Raleigh-Wake Citizens Association, stated it well: "You are our balancer in the great debates of public policy. I would like to see more of a commitment to follow through on these issues."

Circling back

Some book-lovers are aflutter over my report here last week that books editor Peder Zane will move to a new job as "ideas" columnist and reporter. That's true, effective later this spring. But the editors here want you to know that the two Sunday book pages will continue, with some changes.

Coordinating the pages will be Marcy Smith, who has a Ph.D. in literature, has been copy-editing the books pages for years and edits the "Sunday Reader" feature (which will continue). Smith says the pages will include more "quick hits" reviews, as well as locally written reviews and syndicated reviews. An online book club may be part of the new lineup. You can contact her at marcys@newsobserver.com or at 829-4765.

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