Print This Page  The Ombudsman Column  Katie, Jim and the
Mailbag  Like some eight million or so other Americans, I've
been tuning in to watch the new "CBS Evening News with Katie
Couric" whenever I could these last few weeks, mostly to try to
get a sense of how she was doing as the new anchor and how the
program may have changed since she took over just after Labor
Day.  As an observer, I thought there were some strong segments
and some weak spots. That, of course, doesn't tell you much. But
my point here is not to critique the new CBS Evening News, which
isn't my job. There have been scores of articles elsewhere that
have offered assessments. Ms. Couric is a solid and savvy
professional whose presence behind, or sitting on, the anchor
desk could draw more people to tune in to the news. So I wish
Ms. Couric well, along with her competition at ABC and NBC, in
presenting the news to what is a still sizeable chunk of the
American public. Most people get their news from television and
it is vitally important tha