In a piece written for paidContent.org, Richard J. Tofel proposes a new way of "remaking" newspapers and "rethinking the role of the print paper."

Formerly the assistant publisher of the Wall Street Journal and now the author of "Restless Genius: Barney Kilgore, The Wall Street Journal, and the Invention of Modern Journalism," Tofel cites Kilgore, a previous Journal publisher, as an example of someone who helped push newspapers into the future. Tofel contends the 32-page format adopted by the WSJ under Kilgore's lead was the optimum amount of content for the busy reader looking for "only essential material."

The truncating of stories to achieve a slimmed-down, 32-page model would result in more streamlined news. Tofel argues that newspapers should cut superflous details and assume that their reader has already somewhat familiarised themselves with the story, having already seen it covered on the television or Internet.

"Today, all print newspapers need to think of themselves as 'second reads,'" Tofel stated in the paidContent piece, posted by the Washington Post.

Another factor of Tofel's restructuring plan is eliminating columnists and reviewers who don't have a "committed, interested following" as another means to cut costs by cutting down content that may not be of interest to the readers.

Ultimately, Tofel proposes newspapers should strive to be "distinctive" and publish content that sets itself apart from other news sources, such as focusing on local news, effecitvely including graphics, images, games, and puzzles, or by "being new 'scoops' of fact or thought."