Moody takes news online with Web site

  • Published
  • By Master Sgt. Mona Ferrell
  • 23rd Wing Public Affairs
MOODY AIR FORCE BASE, Ga. --  In an effort to streamline processes, the 23rd Wing Public Affairs office is taking Moody's news online with an Internet news service. 

The transition means the public affairs staff will no longer be in the business of laying and designing a newspaper each week, said Capt. Gary Arasin, 23rd Wing PA chief. 

"March 9 will be the last edition of The Volunteer the 23rd Wing PA office designs, but that doesn't mean the hard copy newspaper is going away completely," he said. "The Valdosta Daily Times, who currently publishes the paper, will also be taking over the responsibility of designing and laying out the hard copy newspaper. 

"To the base populace, this should be a seamless transition," he continued. "A newspaper will still be available on news stands each week; the only change is that the product is going to be produced by an outside source." 

This change allows the PA staff to provide more timely news, said Captain Arasin. 

"Moving to a news service provides the PA staff with more flexibility to produce the same types of stories and photos, but with the added benefit of getting the information out to our internal audience in a more timely basis," he said. "Previously, an event that occurred on a Thursday wouldn't be available in print until the following Friday. With our transition to a news service, the PA office can write a story and have it online in a matter of hours versus a week later." 

This on-the-spot news capability leverages today's technology with the continued focus of command information, said Col. Joe Callahan, 23rd WG commander. 

"The base newspaper is my No. 1 internal information tool for getting information out to Team Moody, and that's not going to change," he said. "Given the manpower reductions we are going through in the Air Force, to include reductions in our PA office, I needed a solution that would allow a hardcopy newspaper to continue circulation. "Transitioning The Volunteer's newspaper production to the Valdosta Daily Times, and moving to a web-based online service, also has the added advantage of allowing the PA office to more rapidly distribute and communicate command messages and consistently tell the Air Force story," the colonel added. 

The change also falls in line with the Air Force's goal of strategic communication, said Captain Arasin. 

"Moving online allows for a multimedia approach to supporting news and information via audio, video and interactive graphics," said the captain. "The change may mean a bit of a mindset or cultural change, but in the end we are going to be able to produce a better product with further reach than our current capabilities."