Update on Newspaper Woes

Here are a few more recent examples of newspapers facing problems:

The Baltimore Sun had to cut its newsroom staff by almost a third because of increasing costs. You can read more about the impact here.

A story in the LA Times mentioned that Independent News & Media, Ireland's major newspaper, is expected to default a $265 million debt after sales fell 11.8 percent because of the decline in circulation. The company is seeking a bailout.

Facts and Figures

This CNN article provides an overview of the current state of the newspaper industry.
Facts include:

• "At least 120 newspapers in the U.S. have shut down since January 2008."
• "More than 21,000 jobs at 67 newspapers have vaporized in that time, according to the site."
• "The chain that owns the Los Angeles Times and the Chicago Tribune is in bankruptcy."
• "The industry's advertising revenue in 2008 was $38 billion, a staggering 23 percent drop from $49.5 billion the year before."

The article focuses on the decreasing ability of the newspaper industry to serve as a political watchdog but also predictions that market changes give larger, national newspapers the opportunity to seize market share. If the latter prediction holds true, newspapers like the New York Times could resurrect journalists' democratic check and the industry itself.

Mad Max and the Shrinking MSM

At the LA Times, James Rainey reinforces a major theme of the course. (If the "Mad Max" reference is obscure, click here.)

Political consultants aren't exactly rubbing their hands together and snickering. But as the hired guns look over a landscape of closing newspapers and laid-off investigative reporters, they sense an opening that leaves them both excited and queasy.One operative told me this week about planting attacks on opponents in partisan blogs, knowing the stories could bleed into mainstream news outlets, without leaving any incriminating fingerprints. Another described how he got green reporters to write stories (no campaign cash wasted!) on ads that the candidate had no intention of ever paying to put on TV. "They don't know any better," the consultant chuckled. "So we can get away with that one again."The political pros I interviewed talked about stories missed and questions not asked. But they were not entirely gleeful. These are consultants who care about more than just winning. (Hard to believe, but it's true.)They know better than anyone what happens when the gatekeepers go missing. "Imagine driving along [Interstate] 5. There used to be a couple highway patrolmen to keep people in line. Now they're gone and everyone knows it," said Chris Lehane, a veteran Democratic consultant. "It can devolve into a Mad Max situation pretty quickly."