I had always liked public television's NewsHour with Jim Lehrer. But it now dawns on me that I've never looked for their video content online. Perhaps that is why this story was of interest to me.

Public television's NewsHour with Jim Lehrer has gotten a three-year, $1.15 million grant from the John S. and James L. Knight Foundation to give its online incarnation a digital facelift in hopes of encouraging more public involvement.

The infusion of money-and the foundation's online expertise-"will enable our Web site visitors to participate more fully in the kind of well-informed, balanced journalism for which The NewsHour is known," said executive editor Linda Winslow.

Key elements of the makeover will be 1) more online forums, including Q&A sessions with reporters posing quesons generated by online users; 2) more accessible data and better graphics, for example various interactive scenarios on the effects of global warming