Death of Newspapers Could Kill Communities, Civic Values Too

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You are completely correct on this blog..

Portable Generator For Sale of AL 8:25AM April 07, 2012

Exceptional piece of writing!!

my ed account of AL 10:08AM March 20, 2012

Thank god some bloggers can write. My thanks for this piece of writing.

cigarettes of AL 3:27PM December 31, 2011

That was a truly amazing post..

Gamer Girls of AL 3:29AM November 10, 2011

It frightens me to see so many negative comments about newspapers! I realize most of the negativity is directed toward large dailies, but we must not forget there are small, community, weekly newspapers in small counties and towns with one traffic light that do actually report the news. We can't just lump ALL newspapers into one category and say good riddance. Your local newspaper has an office where you can see the people who are putting out your news. Local newspaper reporters go to meetings and report to you where your tax dollars are going. If you look inside a newspaper, you can find out who is giving you your news. The same cannot necessarily be said for online news sources. Anyone can whip out a website and call it news and do or say what they want, but who is accountable? Let us not forget that there is more to the world of newspapers than huge corporations trying to make money.

Newsgirl of TN 3:18PM July 03, 2009

The big dailies seem to be the topic of your venomous "down with the press: here, but I don't think that is where the essayist is focused. Let's pull this back down to a LOCAL level and talk about the small dailies, the weekly, the community journals and newsletters that reflect where people REALLY live.
Where else but a local newspaper will tell you what your town council or selectmen are doing? How about the local planning board? The school committee? Who writes about local sports: Little League, soccer leagues, youth hockey, the men's slow pitch softball, bocci leagues, horseshoes? Who talks about the pool tournament down at the local pub? Takes pictures of the Girl Scouts cleaning on Earth Day?
That is true civics folks, and those small newspapers are the ones most threatened by the Internet and the lack of local advertising to stay afloat.
When we call on the local car dealership, asking that they take out ad space, we're not hammering on them for their money...we are trying to pay our bills. And it isn't often that GM itself is going to take out an ad in our publication, we rely on that local dealership.
So, the letters to the editor section was two pages this week, we had two local columnists, photos of the Little League games, local high school sports, stories on an upcoming town meeting, the board of selectmen and local people being honored for volunteer work.
That is the kind of journalism in danger of being lost. We don't even read the big dailies here, we're too busy "doing" the local news...the important stuff...

Ruth Deamicis of MA 3:26PM May 12, 2009

Our schools don't teach civics anymore, what makes this editorial writer think the Newspapers do?
The newspapers know little about real community pulse, just like government they became out of touch years ago.
Editorilizing won't turn advertisers on, because people won't advertise in editorial sheets.
Like S. Alton from NC, I hope to live long enough to see the NYT bite the big one.
Let's just hope Obama doesn't do a bailout for them also.

John C of AK 9:53AM May 06, 2009

If the rags sheets go what will people that have birds use to line their bird cages?

John C of AK 9:36AM May 06, 2009

It committed suicide, the print media that is. I am one of those ink-stained sorts that grew up learning to read partly on the local daily newspaper, in my case the Chicago Tribune and the old Chicago Daily News. I love newspapers, and good news magazines, too. But their outlook has grown so blatantly biased, so insultingly condescending, that we couldn't take it anymore. After the old line MSM crawled in bed with the Obama campaign, we cancelled our subscription to the Trib, of over 30 year duration.
I would gladly buy any newspaper that actually delivers news, via solid, unbiased fact-based reporting - the way journalists used to do it, old-school style. The trouble is, no one is doing that anymore, not that I can see.
We are in the midst of a revolution in news delivery, one whose outcome we cannot foresee. Newspapers as we know them are dying and will expire unless Obama throws them a lifeline. But they will, I hope, be reborn in some new and perhaps better fashion.
Until then, there's the internet and the local library and bookstore.
Haven't watched network (ABC,CBS,NBC) news in at least fifteen years, for the same reasons above. FNC is closer to me politically, but they aren't the same as the old network broadcatsers used to be, before they became "activists."

Pete of IL 4:54AM May 06, 2009

Print media is dying.
Network news viewership is declining.
Liberal talk radio is practically non-existent.
Books written by Conservatives are busting the Best Seller Lists while the Liberal authors have to pimp their crap all over the Television. Still no takers.
Now the irony:
The red-necks, Southern hicks, and right-wing extremists are glued to the Talk-radio, read the books written by the likes of Hannity / Coulter / Levin,...
While, the College educated liberal Elites are sipping their lattes at a local Starbucks, doing What?
Go figure!

biggoofer of CA 1:27AM May 06, 2009