Still dropping

Slump still stinging.

Wall Street Journal reports:

A.H. Belo Corp.'s (AHC) second-quarter loss widened as the media company's advertising revenue fell 30% amid a prolonged slump and a movement of readers to the Internet.

Healthy sense of self -- or arrogance?

Interesting discussion about journalists, news and newspapers that debates the assumption that news needs journalists.

http://www.buzzmachine.com/2009/07/04/journalistic-narcissism/

It's getting tough for weekly papers too. Bay State Banner suspends publication

Boston's community newspaper for people of color suspended publication Tuesday, laying off all 12 employees.

http://www.necn.com/Boston/Business/2009/07/07/Bay-State-Banner-suspends/1246984268.html

Sometimes they just disappear

When the big dailies go under, there's usually at least some warning, but smaller papers can simply disappear. Here's a broadcast media web site's notice that a small newspaper serving five Texas towns simply stopped publishing.

http://www.wfaa.com/sharedcontent/dws/news/localnews/tv/stories/wfaa090703_ac_newspapers.5ffe9e5.html

Official game of the Washington Post

http://crooksandliars.com/nicole-belle/washington-post-sells-access-obama-ot

Washington Post scandal

This is a huge scandal.

http://www.politico.com/news/stories/0709/24441.html

The single most important asset old style newspapers have going for them is their credibility. If they lose that, then they have no chance competing against TMZ or other newer media.

This appalling story is incredibly damaging to the credibility of the Post and raises questions about other leading newspapers, too. How much does this sort of thing happen, anyway? I've never heard of anything like this at a state-level newspaper, but one wonders if the rules that apply out here in the provinces apply at the Imperial Seat.