When the Papers End

EVERY SUNDAY, I make Qik clips after flicking through the newspapers like the one at left. Every Monday, nearly every primetime radio presenter sources stories from the newspapers. A free society needs quality journalism. How will we keep Irish politicians honest without the mainstream press? In my neighbourhood, several local papers may not survive in the years ahead without the easy advertising revenue from property developers, estate agents and car dealerships. Back in my American neighbourhoods, things look very challenging. The Rocky Mountain News won't survive. The first paper that I read while in full-time paid employment, the San Francisco Chronicle, may not make year's end. Everywhere I turn on the internet, people are saying the New York Times has to shed its page count. I'm looking at helping the local press survive through an economic downturn by extending their reach into an area of user-generated content and Google-powered advertising revenue. Time will tell whether my efforts bear fruit. I think it's a very important undertaking because I want to get my local news from a paid journalist who has editorial license to report and explain. It's something that mere bloggers won't be able to do well.

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