On Innovation

“Why don’t more Washington Post reporters respond to reader comments?”

Good question. #AskthePost has the answer.

Next Tuesday at 8 p.m. ET, The Washington Post and Bloomberg will hold the first Republican presidential debate to focus on a single issue: the economy.

The candidates will assemble at Dartmouth to talk social security, the national debt, health care, taxes and jobs. They will repeat well-rehearsed talking points, try to zing their opponents, and convince voters that their proposals qualify them to win the White House. 

But these debates generally contain few surprises. The candidate who can keep to their talking points without tripping over questions tends to “win.” But what about what the candidates don’t say? What about larger political questions that go unaddressed? What about fact-checking?

As we get geared up for Tuesday’s debate, we are partnering with Quora to get help tackling the questions that might otherwise go unanswered, starting off with Wonkblog’s Ezra Klein.

An Ask the Post reader asks: “Why such weak coverage of the Wall Street protests?”

Washington Post National Economy and Business editor Greg Schneider has the answer.

“Anwar al-Aulaqi” becomes “al-Awlaki” at The Washington Post

Find out why the change was made here

Starting today, the @innovations blog will feature questions and responses from our new Ask The Post feature on The Washington Post website. We hope the blog will build on the ongoing conversations between the Post newsroom and readers.

Each day, on Ask the Post we’ll take questions from readers about our Web site and news coverage. You can participate by leaving a comment on the blog or by tweeting a question using the hash tag #askthepost. Use the “Recommend” link on each blog post to vote up your favorite questions (make sure you’re signed in to washingtonpost.com first). We will aim to respond to the most recommended questions throughout the week.

As we have occasionally done with reader chats, we’ll now feature, each week, a Post journalist, who will also respond to reader questions about his or her work and related journalism issues.

Have a gripe about or a favorite feature from the front page of today’s print edition of the newspaper? You are invited to write brief critique of the page in the comments section on the blog. This is a place for a succinct critique of the front page. There are other venues for your opinions and letters, as well as a way to reach the ombudsman.

We’ll hold comments on Ask The Post to the same standard as other comments on our site. While we are looking for constructive feedback from our readers, we’ll remove comments that attack fellow commentators or otherwise violate our discussions policy.

Ask The Post also will keep you updated on new Web site features, upgrades to existing features and other technical improvements. We appreciate your feedback on these issues as well, but if you’re having a technical issue, please report it using this form.

We look forward to your feedback.

An Ask the Post reader asks: ”Why won’t your Web site auto-detect my phone’s browser? I’d read your site on my phone more if it served the mobile page.”

Read the answer here

In dozens of video interviews conducted by Washington Post journalists across the country, Americans of all religious backgrounds candidly talk about the roots of suspicion, misunderstandings about Islam and confronting their own fears. Here are a few excerpts from the video project:

“When I was in [military] intelligence, I worked with Arab Muslims and American Muslims, and they are protecting this country with their lives…. Not only did they put their lives on the line, they are saving lives. What do you think those people feel like when they hear that you are an enemy… just because you are Muslim? You have that label: Muslim.”

- Nadia Hassan, 41, writer and editor, Orange County, Calif.

“If most American Muslims are patriotic, nonviolent members of our society as they say they are and just a small percentage are violent extremists, if that’s true, how come we haven’t heard anything from the large number of peaceful, loyal, patriotic American Muslims? Haven’t heard a word from them. Not a word of support for the American way, for the soldiers, for the firefighters, for the victims of 9/11.”

- Elaine Proko, 79, retired lithographer, Anaheim, Calif.

“I know for a fact that there are peaceful Muslims who live here and want to enjoy all the freedoms and liberties that we enjoy. And we embrace them and want them here. But we also have this radical, terrorist-minded group with political motives that are also here, and it’s hard to tell them apart. What many of us would like to see is the peaceful group condemning this radical group. And that would give us a bit more comfort.”

- John Salka, 53, battalion chief, New York City Fire Department, Monroe, N.Y. 

View the entire video project here.

A workout at work: 12 office exercises

The Post’s infographics department tested 12 exercises for a week to see which ones real people could incorporate into a workday. These moves were recommended by experts whose jobs involve studying motion, preventing obesity and generally getting people off their duffs.

Show us how 9/11 has changed your day-to-day life by sharing photos from your hometown.

“	Everyone is so much more paranoid that we’ll be attacked again. Especially the news media. And public school systems. #911changes
	flautista2011 August 30, 2011

3 day’s old. This is what I was focused on when 9/11 happened.

Ron Lema

“	@washingtonpost I decided to study Arabic and go abroad to Jordan. #911changes
	Loolabette August 31, 2011

How did 9/11 change me? Now I have a 2nd job as a Bring our war $$ home full-time volunteer. Photo taken by Nicole Moreau in Brunswick, Maine Aug 27, 2011 at Blue Angels Air Show protest with Vets for Peace.

Lisa Savage

Born on 9/11/01, my daughter brought tears of joy to all of the people in my life, on a most difficult day. I call her my Angel….and she is!

Traci Levine

“	@washingtonpost Sadly, it demonstrated how we most often react to violence w/violence; an odd twist to “do unto others” thought. #911changes
	mandosally September 6, 2011

“	@washingtonpost 9/11 took away securities, but it showed that together t greatest challenges can be achieved!. #unity #911changes
	Tilly_Kammeron September 2, 2011

“	#911changes I can’t carry my f*** shampoo on the plane, get scanned/#patdown & my #twitter account gets new followers each time i type #bomb
	Malisoko September 6, 2011

“	@washingtonpost #911changes changes the way I conceive air traveling,from schedules to TimeSpend at airport,from SecurityChecks to destinies
	RJML72 September 2, 2011

How the journalism sausage gets made:

The Washington Post splash page that contains recent and archival 9/11 stories and multimedia was first sketched on an iPad using the Penultimate app. The Post’s website is built on a modular system that allows producers and editors to arrange modules like building blocks to create a full page.

Mark S. Luckie / National Innovations Editor