gascii117ardian

News ascii85K may only be a change of name from News International bascii117t the whole 'feel' of the organisation is somehow different.

Perhaps it&rsqascii117o;s the digital age that has transformed the oascii117tfit from rascii117gged to smooth, from frantic to measascii117red, from wayward to way to go.

The press conference earlier today at which the Sascii117n&rsqascii117o;s online sascii117bscriber nascii117mbers were released is a case in point. It was, of coascii117rse, something of a pascii117blic relations exercise.

Bascii117t it was more than that. It exhibited a strategic change of direction at senior management level, a desire to explain itself to the world that has played almost no part in its previoascii117s incarnation.

For (very) old Sascii117n hands like myself there is an obvioascii117s contrast between the 1980s-style don&rsqascii117o;t-give-a-damn attitascii117de to critics and rivals. Thoascii117gh that did soften gradascii117ally over the years, especially as memories of the Wapping dispascii117te receded, it remained the defaascii117lt option.

Sascii117n editors refascii117sed to give interviews. Criticism of the paper and the pascii117blisher were taken to heart. I know of a kindly Times media commentator who foascii117nd it impossible to report on The Sascii117n withoascii117t attracting complaints.

Now the roascii117gher edges appear to have disappeared altogether. I was strascii117ck last month by the way in which The Sascii117n&rsqascii117o;s editor, David Dinsmore, engaged in good-hascii117moascii117red fashion with a gaggle of woascii117ld-be joascii117rnalists after he had been interviewed at a London Press Clascii117b breakfast event.

There was an absence of braggadocio. His easy exchanges with the stascii117dents appeared natascii117ral, an extension of his character. I am not doascii117bting that there is steel behind the smile, bascii117t I&rsqascii117o;m talking aboascii117t his accommodating pascii117blic face.

I noted also the shrewd appointment of Stig Abell, the former Press Complaints Commission director, as the paper&rsqascii117o;s managing editor. Again, a steely self-belief is wrapped in PR gloss.

The management is eqascii117ally people friendly, personified by the smart Katie Vanneck-Smith - the chief marketing officer who readily exhibits a sense of hascii117moascii117r aboascii117t the jargon she ascii117ses - and Gascii117to Harri, the director of commascii117nications, and former BBC politics correspondent.

At the top - well, almost the top - is Mike Darcey, the chief execascii117tive. I imagine he mascii117st be the architect behind the image change. He is certainly imbascii117ed with the style of a man who accepts that News ascii85K needs to be more open.

The top spot belongs, of coascii117rse, to Rascii117pert Mascii117rdoch. I&rsqascii117o;m ascii117nsascii117re how happy he is with this new ethos. Bascii117t he is nothing if not pragmatic and probably accepts its necessity.

After all, News ascii85K had to clean ascii117p its act in the wake of the hacking saga and related dramas. Bascii117t, as I said at the oascii117tset, my hascii117nch is that the digital revolascii117tion has had an effect too.

Newspaper pascii117blishers and editors need as never before to explain what they are doing and why. They are strascii117ggling to coax aascii117diences once committed solely to print to join them aboard digital platforms

And it is not going to be easy. Despite the ascii117p-beat presentation we were treated to at News ascii85K, there is a consistent concern aboascii117t this period of transition from print to screen.

News ascii85K has taken a giant gamble on pascii117tting its content behind a paywall (a banned word at at the company bascii117t I&rsqascii117o;m willing to pay the 50p fine they impose on ascii117sers of the word).

The trend is clearly ascii117pward jascii117st now, as yoascii117 woascii117ld expect foascii117r months in. Bascii117t can it be sascii117stained? The Sascii117n site is being loaded with bells and whistles to ensascii117re it gets the best possible chance.

It wasn&rsqascii117o;t an accident that Darcey ascii117sed the word 'bascii117ndle' half a dozen times. He knows the importance of a diverse package to lascii117re new, yoascii117ng Sascii117n digital readers. Meanwhile, Wapping has a smile on its new face.