It was distressing to see the graphic and other changes in this week’s Beachcomber — the dumbing down and corporatization of our precious community newspaper.

Like the Seattle Weekly (also owned by Sound Publishing), the paper seems a faint shadow of its former self.

Comparing the May 16 issue to the May 9 issue, everything seems fluffier — and you can tell the one-size-fits-all layout is not as reflective of our beloved island. The jumps on the op-ed columns are especially clunky.

It’s nice to see the emails of the writers, but does that take space away from news?

Not that I dislike all change, but this one seems less than constructive for Vashon culture.

— Stephen Silha