Monday, January 19, 2009

Local News

Everyone preaches that local news, hyperlocal stuff, is the future of newspapers and successful news sites.

Yeah, but ...

Here's a story about the decline in the number of reporters covering LA. By LA I mean Los Angeles, not Lower Alabama. In the piece:
But now just four reporters tend this turf anywhere close to full time: two for The Times, one for eight dailies controlled by newspaper baron William Dean Singleton, and one for City News Service, although that young reporter frequently gets pulled off for other duty.Back in my day, as many as a dozen full-time reporters walked this beat, filling the row of cramped, glass-walled cubicles on the dimly lit fourth floor just above the supervisors meeting room.

Not a happy time, unless of course you're a cheating stealing politician who now has more free reign to do whatever the hell you want. And no, not many bloggers do the kind of legwork to make up the difference, not yet at least. I'm hopeful, just not convinced.

No comments: