FROM THE NEWSROOM:Let us hear it

As many of you know, the Daily Pilot went through a transformation starting April 29.

First, I want to assure all of the readers that these changes came after much thought and deliberation.

We enlisted the help of our staff and a world-class designer from Florida by the name of John Miller. Then we followed up with our own in-house art director, Hamlet Nalbandyan, to add the finishing touches.

The goal was to create a newspaper that reflects the changing media landscape, one that is easier for readers to navigate.

For all the changes we went through — and they were extensive — the thing we and the readers need to face in this new age of media is that changes are going to happen, a lot, and more often.

But change, as we know, is not always welcomed.

No sooner had we launched the new look when this e-mail arrived: “I was very disappointed…. This is journalism? Pure fish wrap.”

Some took issue with our new Latino-issues and conservative columnists.

The conservative columnist was sought out to balance all of the left-leaning, or as Costa Mesa Councilman Eric Bever would say, “socialistic left,” writers at the paper. The Latino columnist idea is born out of the idea that Costa Mesa’s demographics have changed dramatically over the years, with Latinos making up more than 30% of the population. That’s a large chunk of people who had no voice in our newspaper.

As disappointing as the negative responses are, the truth is that the overwhelming majority have been positive.

But just as I said above, I don’t always need to hear the cheering. We are willing to change and to make adjustments where necessary. As always, I’d love to hear your thoughts.