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I have written before of the enjoyment we at i take in hearing from you – your suggestions, corrections, praise, tellings-off and wit. I don’t promise to get back to everyone who writes in, otherwise this newspaper would have to be even more concise than it is. But one of the joys of corresponding with such engaged and enthusiastic readers – a rarity in Fleet Street – is hearing your ideas on how to improve i. Also, what to leave well alone.
So here are 10 requests readers write to us with. It’s not in any order (or even the top 10). And we can continue this thread another day. But I share them with everyone as food for thought.
* More room for readers in i. “Your readers are, as I’m sure you know, an intelligent, articulate and opinionated bunch,” writes Terry Ansell of Chalfont St Peter, “so how about seeing more of their views in the paper?” Common sense, really. So we have given more space to your letters and texts.
* More space for news in the essential daily briefing.
* Extra culture and arts content at the end of the week to help plan weekends out (and in).
* Improved awareness of regional bias; and not to refer to “the country” or “nationally” when in fact a writer means England. “To me, Manchester is just a suburb of north London,” writes i reader Paul Kennerley, from Sunderland, in a friendly note. Linda Hendry of Edinburgh meanwhile asks: “Please, if a campaign or issue is about England or even England and Wales, just say so.”
* A greater variety of prices in restaurant reviews, fashion and the “10 Best”, to include more affordable suggestions.
* The return of the daily recipe.
* More comprehensive football coverage, especially lower leagues.
* Less football.
* More coverage of women’s sport. And promote Paralympic sports.
* No changes to i. Bonnie Thompson writes: “Don’t go changing too much. It works.” Phil Webb says: “Carry on doing what you do so well and I am sure that many thousands more will switch to the only sensible daily newspaper.”
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