imported post
On The Demise of the Prevaricator-Izvestia
Nobody likes to see a tradition end, hence the almost universal appeal of "Fiddler On The Roof." However, there are a few points to remember in this "dying newspaper" syndrome. We lovers of gun rights had almost nothing to do with the death of the P-I's print version. That is, after all, the only death involved here. The internet presence lingers on.
The internet is the best thing that ever happened to the dissemination of news, in my opinion. Gone is the unavailability of alternative viewpoints and reporting. It's actually possible on the internet to get analysis of a given event by someone who understands the situation. I'm not referring to opinion pieces here although print media feel no compunction about mixing opinion in with the factual (so to speak) description of the event. Now, some web sites do this too, but we don't have to go there, do we? The print media felt that they had a foot on our throats and force us to read biased material. This is the real beauty of the internet and why print media can't compete; choice.
The above paragraph explains the loss of readers, meaning buyers. The P-I failed for business (economic) reasons. In addition to the loss of revenue from newspaper sales was the bigger loss of ad revenue based on declining readership numbers. It seems to me that the dumest thing the employees could have done, under the circumstances, was to go on strike. Talk about biting the hand that feeds you!
While the proponents of socialism have lost a soap box, they'll find another (beside the Seattle Times). For ourselves, the strategy and tactics of the fight remain largely the same; education, in its many facets.
MD