Giving Newspapers Breathing Room

GIVING NEWSPAPERS BREATHING ROOM
[SOURCE: The Christian Science Monitor 11/14, AUTHOR: Editorial Staff]
[Commentary] News consumers in Los Angeles, Baltimore, Boston, and other parts of the country may have heard that local investors are interested in buying their main newspaper. They might think this is purely a business matter. Actually, it's more about them - and the future of journalism that informs their daily lives. The potential buyers, some with very deep pockets, are aiming to "rescue" these newspapers from the maw of publicly owned corporations. Several of the buyers believe Wall Street's profit interest is trumping Main Street's public interest - cutting newsroom staffs to the point that journalism's watchdog role is in danger. Private and local ownership has its advantages. The monkey of excessive profits is off the back of owners, who also have a natural stake in their community. But conversely, local owners may be more inclined to interfere with the editorial independence necessary to maintain a paper's credibility, or suddenly find their pockets for investing in the future aren't as deep as they need to be. No matter who owns newspapers, they still must find a new business model to survive an age where text, audio, and video are all converging in cyberspace. Fortunately, they're awake, and working on it. Keeping them hopeful is the knowledge that the public still needs a news organization's basic function as information diggers, sifters, and watchdogs. Private, local ownership has its risks. But if it can give newspapers breathing room to find their way, it seems worth it - for the sake of journalism and an informed public.
http://www.csmonitor.com/2006/1114/p08s02-comv.html