We wanted to break the pattern with this 20th anniversary issue of Presstime, to produce something special that underscored our relationship with our readers. We also wanted to give them something to think about, digest, debunk and debate.

So we opted to have readers, in effect, write our special report. Their assignment? Identify, based on their experiences and observations, the most meaningful events of the past 20 and the next 20 years for the industry and for American society.

That’s a daunting task, we admit, though there are no right or wrong answers. While everyone mentioned the importance of the Internet, for instance, assessments of its impact were colored by participants’ job responsibilities and frames of reference.

We also chose to take an unconventional route to gathering material for this issue: Almost all of it was generated via e-mail. We sent electronic questionnaires to authorities in all areas of newspaper publishing, and to a few outside, and asked them to give us the benefit of their expertise. Many did so, filling out the form on their PCs and zapping it back to us. The editors took it from there.

In the following pages, you’ll find a time line of facts, figures and ideas that appeared in these pages over the years, plus some thoughts by our participants on significant developments in six areas: content, marketing, production, workforce, new media, and society at large. Then, you can read their expectations for the next 20 years, some of which may surprise you. Finally, three senior executives from non-newspaper companies help us celebrate by sharing their observations on newspapers as well as their own media as they do a bit of crystal-ball gazing. Our contributors: Cathleen P. Black, onetime USA Today publisher and now president of Hearst Magazines, who once served as president of NAA; another longtime newspaperman, Kevin Klose, currently president and chief executive officer of National Public Radio; and David F. Poltrack, executive vice president for research and planning at CBS Television and brother of Presstime Editor Terence Poltrack.

We extend a warm thank-you to everyone who participated, and we regret that we didn’t have nearly enough space to accommodate all the material we received.

We also extend an invitation to all our readers to continue the discussion. What events, developments or trends have our participants overlooked? What conclusion or prediction missed the mark? What do you feel was flat-out wrong? Make your own contribution to the ongoing debate. You can also fax your thoughts to (703) 902-1690; or mail them to 1921 Gallows Road, Suite 600, Vienna, Va. 22182. Should responses warrant, we may also print a selection in a future issue.

Everyone at Presstime and the Newspaper Association of America thanks you for your support and your contributions. This is your magazine, and we are honored to be of service.