Newspapers on The Huffington Post

Washington Post To Close LA Bureau

2009-11-24T22:07:49Z

LOS ANGELES — The Washington Post will close its remaining U.S. bureaus in New York, Los Angeles and Chicago at the end of the year to save money and will focus news efforts on covering the nation's capital.

Six correspondents are being offered jobs in Washington, while three news aides will be let go Dec. 31.

Chicago Sun-Times Eyes Online Pay Walls

2009-11-24T18:02:33Z

While there's no panacea for the ills of the newspaper publishing business, small changes will help turn the tide at the money-losing publisher of Chicago's No. 2 paper, Sun-Times Media CEO Jeremy Halbreich said.

Washington Post To Close New York, Chicago, LA Bureaus

2009-11-24T17:25:00Z

WASHINGTON — The Washington Post will close its remaining U.S. bureaus in New York, Los Angeles and Chicago at the end of the year to save money and will focus news efforts on covering the nation's capital.

Six correspondents are being offered jobs in Washington, while three news aides will be let go Dec. 31.

LA Times Twitter Guidelines Announced

2009-11-23T17:31:42Z

Los Angeles Times staffers have been warned: the Twitterverse isn't safe. Editor Russ Stanton and assistant managing editor Henry Fuhrmann have issued new guidelines governing the use of social media like Twitter and Facebook. They include:

• Integrity is our most important commodity: Avoid writing or posting anything that would embarrass The Times or compromise your ability to do your job.

• Assume that your professional life and your personal life will merge online regardless of your care in separating them.

• Even if you use privacy tools (determining who can view your page or profile, for instance), assume that everything you write, exchange or receive on a social media site is public.

• Just as political bumper stickers and lawn signs are to be avoided in the offline world, so too are partisan expressions online.

The LAT is the latest in a string of publications to have issued guidelines to staff governing the use of social media. The Washington Post and Wall Street Journal have also published new rules, which, like the LAT's, were designed to protect the paper's objectivity in the eyes of its readers -- drawing the ire of bloggers and members of staff who saw them as overly restrictive. Washington Post media reporter Howard Kurtz vowed "to now hold forth only on the weather and dessert recipes."

Newspaper Circulation May Be Worse Than It Looks

2009-11-22T18:15:49Z

SAN FRANCISCO — While U.S. newspapers are losing subscribers at a staggering rate, a few dailies stand out because their circulation is rising. But they aren't necessarily selling more copies.

Here's why: Since April 1, new auditing rules have made it easier for newspapers to count a reader as a paying customer.

John Barron Named Sun-Times Media Group Publisher

2009-11-20T20:18:34Z

CHICAGO — Sun-Times Media Group, which was recently sold out of bankruptcy to an investor group, said Friday it named John Barron to the newly created group publisher position and as senior vice president of news and editorial operations.

The owner of the Chicago Sun-Times and dozens of suburban publications said Friday that Barron also will remain publisher of the Chicago Sun-Times and Pioneer Press newspapers.

Oprah's Show Ending: Front Page News Around The Nation (PHOTOS)

2009-11-20T10:18:07Z

The news that the queen of daytime TV is leaving her perch — which only broke around 5PM ET Thursday — was big enough news to be A1 news at several of the nation's newspapers.

Below, see several of the different front pages featuring the Oprah news:

Steven G. Brant: How Budget Cuts at the Times Helped Give NYC Bloomberg III

2009-11-16T10:52:04Z

Bloomberg (the Business) Conquers The World

I was struck on Saturday by the New York Times' long (nearly 3,000 word) article entitled "At Bloomberg, Modest Strategy to Rule the World".

Some choice excerpts:

...the data behemoth that Michael R. Bloomberg created and named after himself in 1981, long before he became mayor of New York, finally has the reach, resources and appetites to try snaring the mantle of Most Influential -- at least in the rarefied world of business news.

...Publishing giants like Condé Nast, Time Inc. and the New York Times... have laid off people and scaled back. Bloomberg... has one thing they don't right now: money to throw around.

...Bloomberg... editorial staff (which includes radio, TV and Web site workers) now numbers 2,200, compared with 1,250 journalists at The Times and 1,900 at Dow Jones (a figure that includes the newswires and the Journal staff).

When the 80-year-old BusinessWeek went on the block, Bloomberg opened its wallet and snatched it away from circling private equity firms in October for just $5 million in cash

...The time has come, company officials say, to move beyond a hard-core clientele of financial information hounds.

"We need a broader audience," says Daniel L. Doctoroff, Bloomberg's president. "The history of this company is you do the counterintuitive, countercyclical thing. It's part of our DNA."

Bloomberg (the Man) Conquers NYC, Again?

Mike Bloomberg still owns most of this company and is involved with major decisions like buying BusinessWeek. For this reason, I've wondered why these well-known plans for global business news domination weren't a bigger issue in the recent mayoral race. When you (a) provide data to most of the business world, (b) report on the business world (in print, web, and broadcast mediums), and (c) are the mayor (ie pretty much the "King") of the city where many of the most important business activities in the world take place, it just makes me wonder...

We wouldn't want Rupert Murdoch to be mayor of NYC, would we? So, why do we want Mike Bloomberg?

Well, in what for me is the bombshell parallel news of the day, it looks to me as if - while we now have "Bloomberg III" (his third term as mayor) - we just may have been flying blind when we gave it to him. I'm not referring to his business dealings. They were being reported, even thought they didn't catch fire as an issue.

A Voting Public Flying Blind

Mike Bloomberg won by a much smaller margin than was expected. Yet, the day before the election most New Yorkers (myself included) assumed the race was going to be a blow out. There was no reporting that suggested Bill Thompson had a chance of winning.

The Bloomberg campaign had been telling the public that Bloomberg would be the inevitable winner all along. That was to be expected.

But here's what pushed the scenario of the close of the election from politics as usual to tragedy (or farce): There was a failure of reporting at the New York Times caused by budget cuts. I'll say that again.

Due to budget cuts, the New York Times failed to give its reporters what they needed (a new poll) so they could accurately report the state of the race in a way that would reach the readers of The Times in the most effective way possible.

All The News We Can Afford To Print

As reported in today's paper by Clark Hoyt, the New York Times' Public Editor, in the final stage of the election, the New York Times failed to order a poll be taken that would have given its reporters facts to counter the Bloomberg campaign's spin machine. The Times also (for reasons not explained) failed to send a reporter to cover a news conference by the Marist Institute (a polling organization) in the finals days of the campaign. At that news conference, reporters were warned that the race was going to be closer than had been expected.

What follows is the most relevant section of Clark Hoyt's report, which I urge you to read so you can absorb all the details of how the New York Times wound up reporting the impression that Bloomberg would win easily (the spin) rather than the facts that the race was close:

The paper did not do its own polling in the fall. Janet Elder, the editor in charge of polling, said it was a budget-driven decision that still upsets her. In The Times's only poll, in June, a majority of those responding said they wanted someone else as mayor, even though Bloomberg faced no formal challenger at that point and there was broad approval of his performance in office.

[...]

In their press releases, Marist and Quinnipiac emphasized the gap between the candidates, which was as high as 18 points in Quinnipiac's polls. That gap got headlines on the Times Web site. The printed paper did not carry full articles on the polls and did not name them, referring only to Bloomberg's lead or Thompson's poor showing in "polls." Had The Times put less emphasis on the spread and more on the fact that Bloomberg was stuck at roughly 50 percent, readers would have been better served.

Lee Miringoff, the director of the Marist Institute, said he tried to warn reporters at a news conference -- which The Times didn't attend -- that the race would be closer. Carroll pointed to a caution in his "blowout" press release that said such races tend to tighten.

[...]

Carolyn Ryan (who edited the riveting "what really happened during the campaign" story by Michael Barbaro (published the day after the election) that described how close the Bloomberg campaign knew the race really was) says Bill Thompson was faltering in the polls? That's not consistent with Mr. Barbaro's story, in which he reported:

In many ways, what the campaign was selling was a charade. Inside the campaign, pollsters and consultants fretted over surveys that showed New Yorkers angry over term limits, anguished over the economy and eager for change. Their data showed that Mr. Bloomberg's re-election numbers were alarmingly low for a two-term incumbent, a fact the campaign consistently sought to shield from outsiders, but which embarrassingly spilled into public view on Election Day.

Janet Elder, the editor in charge of polling, thinks the story of the June survey is what the New York Times reported throughout? I'm sorry. The reporting leading up to election day -- as Mr. Hoyt calls it -- was more Bloomberg the invincible than Bloomberg the vulnerable.

Normally, readers wonder about whether reporters get their facts straight. But in this case, without a fresh poll commissioned by the Times to report on, its reporters had no facts to get straight or not!

As I've read about budget and staff cuts at the Times, I've wondered whether or not this was affecting the quality of what is being reported. Now, with proof that a poll (of the kind that would have been given extra prominence for being a Times poll) was not commissioned for budgetary reasons and the usual "self justification" by the Times' staff for how reporting Bloomberg's invincibility was really reporting how vulnerable he was, I don't have to wonder any more.

Now, I can replace wondering with worrying... as "All the news that's fit to print" devolves into "All the news we can afford to print".

It's such a shame.

Oh, but I will continue to wonder on one particular issue. I'll wonder what would have happened if some of the money the Times spent on the 3,000 word article celebrating the Bloomberg corporation's plans for world domination had gone into commissioning that poll. Hmmm...

FYI, I'm aiming to write two related articles the rest of this week. Call it my "NYC week." This place is my home town, after all.

The first will be on what Bloomberg III could mean for NYC and America, focusing on the statement by Daniel L. Doctoroff, Bloomberg's president. "The history of this company is you do the counterintuitive, countercyclical thing. It's part of our DNA." What could a "counterintuitive, countercyclical" third Bloomberg administration look like?

And the second will be on how the New York Times can take a page from the way the Bloomberg organization thinks. If the Bloomberg organization can think that "...The time has come to move beyond a hard-core clientele of financial information hounds. We need a broader audience," then what would happen if the Times organization were to have those same thoughts?

Stay tuned...

B.D. Gallof: Hockey "In These Times"

2009-11-11T12:36:23Z

"(Blogs) are the prized platform of an online lynch mob spouting liberty but spewing lies, libel and invective.”
- The Fake Steve Jobs, Daniel Lyons, when writing for Forbes in 2005

“Because time after time, blogs are simply beating the shit out of the newspapers. They’re the ones who still dare to go for the throat, while their counterparts at big newspapers just keep reaching for the shrimp cocktail."
- The Fake Steve Jobs, Daniel Lyons, who now writes for Newsweek, 2009

Excuse me, but you have found yourself in the hockey section. Hockey might have found its way off of ESPN TV in America, but a heart still beats. Oh, yeah, ESPN will try to say it covers hockey the same, since they like to consider themselves a sports news organization but, if you look at the order and time covered for hockey, you will see a vast difference.

Corporate beasts govern our sports nowadays. There is simply no denying it. Teams are large corporations, or connected to even bigger ones. The NY Rangers corporation parent owns the TV channels that that their rivals the NY Islanders are on. It is the same with the NJ Devils. They also now own the one main Long Island newspaper as well.

There seems to be no getting away these days from the reach or sometimes, overreach of companies. In Chicago, the White Sox and Blackhawks are intertwined in a marketing partnership. In Detroit it is the Red Wings and the Tigers that are co-owned.

Yet in the coverage of sports, you have a retraction going on, in many cases. Papers cut, people reassigned, new school of those who live one foot in the web are pushing out those who have found that both feet in print is one foot in a grave.

Bloggers share much space with mainstream press, especially in a sport that has lost much coverage between TV deals, previous lockouts and mainstream shrinkage. Sites pop up like zits on a teen, trying to capture the blur that lies between news, entertainment, fandom, and coverage.

In many cases, especially in smaller outlets, bloggers have seeped past the mainstream. Or, simply have become mainstream. This of course is a two-edge sword. The new king of the mountain is ripe to be kicked off that hill eventually.

Meanwhile, we all seem to hope that next year we exit a recession as a nation. What does that mean for a sport that has a perch between two differing movements: consolidation on the coverage yet a mega-monopoly of corporate owners? Well, for some, like Ted Leonsis of the Washington Capitals, it means just riding the wave wherever it leads.

Ted is one of the first to recognize the power of the blogosphere, allowing hockey blog pioneer Eric McErlain of the Off Wing Opinion and others access that only the mainstream and radio used to have. Leonsis even has his own blog, creating a transparency that other teams still do not have, even if they try.

It helps that Leonsis has a huge star in Russian wunderkind dynamo of personage: Alex Ovechkin. But, it also helps that Leonsis and the Capitals organization is a well-run unit. When all three things intertwine: good business ops, team success, and coverage outside the old-time parameters; there is something exciting going on.

The Islanders have also dipped their toes into the new waters. However, with business organization cuts, personnel overhauls, and a very secretive and insular hockey operations run by GM Garth Snow...they haven't achieved the same transparency. They also, unlike the Caps have not turned the corner on team and fiscal success. But, within their own battle, a genius idea of a blogger press box was born by their former VP Chris Botta (who has since made a hugely successful jump to the blogosphere himself). The Isles have run that Blog Box two years since Botta, and now is under Director of Communications Seth Sylvan and Communications Manager Kimber Auerbach, a busier than normal staff and interns attempt to juggle bloggers, press, a website and other priorities. There might not be a busier staff in all the NHL.

So, some teams have made jumps according to the movement and times, team success or not. Other organizations also have jumped onboard: Nashville, LA, and others.

And some have not that are set in their ways. Despite being run by Cablevision's and Newsday's Charles Dolan, the NY Rangers still do not recognize or accommodate hockey bloggers. This is despite that many of their of their own staff and NYR cover guys had to make the jump themselves.

So there is not a complete change of mindset and ways. It is a process. Meanwhile hockey sites like Hockeybuzz, SBNation hockey, Yahoo’s Puck Daddy and others have taken over. Yet, mainstream sites, especially hockey gold standards like the strong Canadian hockey outlets like CBC and TSN also made the jump into the pool. I even started my own hockey blogosphere that is on its way to 1 million views a year at HockeyIndpendent.com. Not bad for the 4th sport in the US and a sport that took a major hit post-lockout.

Old, new, it's not a battle of two sides anymore. Instead, it's a crowded pool where any fan can glean info, rumor, opinion, humor or just about anything else with a mouse click via the Web or Twitter. It is an information gold rush for fans. It is a huge adjustment for teams, with not all stepping with the hopes, understanding and smarts that teams like the Islanders, Capitals, and others have made.

These times are a changin’. Chances are how you got your information is far different than it was even 5 years ago. Come on, admit it, I just inspired you to download the Bob Dylan song from Itunes.

bd@hockeyindependent.com
www.twitter.com/bdgallof
www.facebook.com/gallof

Washington Times Shake-Ups Connected To New President's Book Review?

2009-11-09T14:45:16Z

Given today's big management changes and still-unanswered questions about whether executive editor John Solomon will stay at the paper, there are a lot of rumors around the Washington Times newsroom.

And that includes speculation about why a peculiar "clarification" ran in Sunday's paper.

Washington Times Shakeup: Top Executives Out, Editor In Limbo, Expected To Resign

2009-11-09T12:18:08Z

Three top executives are out at the conservative Washington Times, and the newspaper's editor remains in limbo.

The company announced Monday that the company's chairman, President/Publisher, and CFO have all been removed from their positions.

Jonathan Slevin, previously a Vice President at the company, has been named acting president and publisher.

Politico's Michael Calderone reports that the paper's top editor, John Solomon, is "in his cabin in western Virginia considering his options at the paper." Solomon did not attend meeting Monday morning during which Slevin briefed the newspaper's staff on the executive changes.

Talking Points Memo reports, based on information from two sources, that Solomon is expected to resign.

Update: White House reporter Jon Ward is also leaving the Washington Times. Ward will join Tucker Carlson's website, The Daily Caller. Read Ward's email announcing the move below:

From: Jon Ward

Date: Mon, Nov 9, 2009 at 2:35 PM

Subject: I've taken a new job

To: Jon Ward

I'm excited to announce that I have accepted a job as senior political and White House reporter for "The Daily Caller," the new political news website being launched by Tucker Carlson and Neil Patel. Tucker and Neil are assembling a strong team of reporters and multi-media savants to form an aggressive and edgy offering for the new media environment. I'm joining the team because they have offered me the unique chance to play a leadership role in creating an infant news organization that we expect to become a go-to site for political news. I'm exciting to continue covering the Obama presidency and Washington politics for a new outlet, continuing to focus on good, hard-hitting journalism that is down the middle and fair.

As I told Tucker the first time I met him, I'm invigorated by the opportunity to inhabit the new media space while reincarnating timeless journalistic values: objectivity, depth, creativity, curiosity, and a healthy skepticism of politicians and bureaucrats that doesn't get in the way of being plugged in to Washington's web of relationships. I also think the Daily Caller's revenue-based compensation system for freelance work is going to be an innovative and precedent-setting part of being successful in a web-only venture.

I owe a debt of gratitude to the Washington Times. I was lucky to learn journalism on the local news desk -- an increasingly rare training ground these days -- and then had the amazing fortune to cover the last two years of the Bush presidency and then President Obama's first year in office. It has been quite a ride. Along the way I've gotten to know you and am looking forward to working with you in my new role. I look forward to talking soon!

You now have my new email address, and my cell phone will continue to be [redacted].

Jon

Cassie Ammerman: STRIP & REBIND: Why Publicists Love the Word "No"

2009-11-09T09:40:05Z

Recently, I've been pitching a biography of Mario Savio, one of the leaders of the Free Speech Movement in the 1960s, to the media. As it turns out, one of the book review editors I sent it to was a student at Berkeley during the sixties. Even though this editor turned down the book for review, I discovered something interesting about him, something that gives me a new angle to pitch him in the future. His "no," and the subsequent discussion, helped us form an actual relationship -- I know a bit about him now, and he's more likely to get back to me in the future, whether it's with a yes or a no, which means I won't waste his time or mine in sending him email after email, phone call after phone call, trying to determine if he is interested in future books. All because he said "no" to a review.

I won't deny that there are few words publicists love to hear more than "Yes, we're planning a review." There are a thousand variations of this phrase, especially now that options have widened and changed, with the rise of blogs and sites like The Huffington Post. Discussion and interaction are important, but the traditional book review remains a staple of the publishing world. There is still an important audience that only book reviews reach, even as more and more newspapers decrease the space they devote to books. Getting a book reviewed in one of these ever-shrinking papers is cause to rejoice for a publicist and an author.

There is, however, a word that publicists love almost as much as "yes." And it's "no."

Seems counterintuitive, right? But it's true. There is little I love more than a solid "no." In the course of a publicity campaign, I will send out hundreds of emails, and the majority will go unanswered.

There's a very good reason for this, of course. Just as book review editors receive up to a thousand books a week from hopeful publishers, they also receive at least as many emails from eager publicists hoping for coverage in that publication. An editor would be hard pressed to read them all, much less answer them.

My job is to be persistent, and to get the best coverage (not the most, but the best) coverage for my authors and their books. It's a job I believe in. So many books are published every year, that many of them might be lost from public view without a publicist to advocate for them. I walk a fine line between persistence and being a pain in the butt; which is where the "no" comes in. If an editor responds with a "no," then I can stop wasting their time and mine. I can move on to other opportunities. And sometimes it opens a discussion -- the editor will talk about why they're turning down the book, or why it didn't personally appeal to them. These exchanges can be invaluable.

Of course, it's more complicated than that. A "no" can change, depending on circumstances. And in the two years I've been in this business -- not really that long -- I still get that fist-pumping sense of excitement when I get a positive reply. But I've also learned to really appreciate the "nos;" especially when that "no" is followed by a polite thank you. Often it's not the end of a conversation, but the beginning of one.

NY Post Circulation Sinks To 508,000

2009-11-09T02:59:31Z

Nearly every paper in America has lost circulation, but The Post more than most -- down almost 30 percent in 2.5 years, to 508,000 in the most recent reporting period, against 544,000 for The Daily News.

Sara-Ellen Amster, Ph.D.: The Chronicle of Darth Vega: May the Force Be with Him

2009-11-09T01:56:58Z

Most troubled newspapers have tried to stay afloat by squeezing out every cent they can from newsrooms with staff layoffs and buyouts and by reducing newshole so that local papers are stuffed with wire stories.

But The San Francisco Chronicle is taking the opposite approach beginning Monday to attract more readers to a daily newspaper that resembles a magazine, although not every page will be glossy.

Why not try it?

When all else has not worked, there appears to be nothing left to lose. By putting more resources into the look of the paper, at least the management is improving the product, rather than further stripping it down.

The publication has already implemented the same cost-cutting measures as peers nationally, which have suffered circulation declines averaging more than 10 percent.

Despite efforts thus far, the largest newspaper in northern California still has experienced a nearly 26 percent weekday circulation decline between April and September from the same period one year ago -- the largest downward spiral in the nation. Last year, The Chronicle lost $50 million, causing owner Hearst Corp. to threaten its closure.

The Chronicle's novel approach today by turning glossy is gutsy and goes against expectations, but risks making all involved look like anachronistic fools. After all, this location is on the very peninsula where Craigslist.com and Google.com continue to siphon the oxygen out of advertising revenue that had it still existed, could have fueled The Chronicle's plan. The Internet is a far superior delivery system that can reach people on their cell phones and portable laptops without threatening a single tree. And the Internet is not going away. The Chronicle's online readership is actually growing. Combined, the print and online paper reaches 1.9 million people in the Bay Area during a typical week and is starting to turn a profit - some weeks. Putting more energy and money into a print product is probably doomed to failure.

Magazine-quality publications are very costly to produce, print and transport to allegedly more sophisticated and wealthy clientele. No matter how bright and literary they are, readers of print publications - newspapers and magazines both -are dying off. Their replacement millenials are less dedicated to any media form that isn't on a wireless network. Just ask Gourmet magazine, which recently closed its doors after publishing since 1941.

Publisher Frank Vega, who was nicknamed Darth Vega during tough battles with union workers in Detroit, has been tapped as fixer for The Chronicle.

As if ignoring other societal media trends, Vega told SFGate.com and San Francisco Business Times that the decline was an expected result of a shifting strategy that will rely less on advertising revenue and more on income generated from readers. "We feel the readers have to make a conscious decision about the paper," Vega said. "And we're pleased that we still have the healthiest audience for any media outlet in the Bay Area." Say again? If there were enough readers to generate income there would not be a problem.

The newspaper has hiked its weekly subscription rate from $4.75 18 months ago to $7.75 today. That's quite a lot of money to pay in an era where the public is used to getting its news for nothing. In a recession, high prices usually do not translate to more customers.

With that kind of charge -- almost $400 a year -- readers will expect something for the money, a less disposable product, one that can't double as fish wrap or cat liner, sure, if they are inclined to buy such a product at all.

Vega was groomed as a local publisher by USA Today founder Al Neuharth who was king of short news stories and colorful sections in the early days of McPaper. As vice president for circulation, Vega presided over the bolting down of more than 100,000 newsracks in 1982 in cities across America on the launch of USA Today. The ubiquitous boxes mimic TV screens. Instead of USA Today's blue mast, Florida Today's flag is orange. At the time I worked there in the late '80s, Florida Today in Melbourne, Fla., where Vega served as publisher, restricted its story length with the idea that no one read anything more than headlines and captions. Stories often were not allowed to jump inside the paper.

In The Chronicle case, the emphasis must be on the quality of reporting and writing to produce a worthwhile product for the community. For Democracy's sake, I hope that happens in the tradition of longer magazine material, the muckraking style that was popular in San Francisco in 1936, when John Steinbeck wrote about the Dust Bowl experience of poor migrant farmers, but as the goal is fiscal survival this probably is a pipe dream. Darth Vega or not, it pretty much doesn't matter what Vega tries. Up against the Internet, how can he win?

The Chronicle's leaders must focus on the quality of what's printed on its pages as readers will expect to get more specialized information for their expenditure if anyone will even fork up that kind of cash - (maybe if the paper paid for lunch also or got Starbucks to throw in free lattes?)

As the best stories still come from print journalism, the magazine idea is laudable. Yet Vega, so lucky to ride the upward path of USA Today all those years ago has found himself on the wrong side of history this time. The time for print is passing rapidly. Steinbeck got his start in San Francisco in newspapers with the muckraking series in a publication few have heard of now. The vehicle of print made him a literary giant, a voice for the suffering of poor migrant farmers in the then San Francisco News. After first merging with The Call-Bulletin, The News was eventually swallowed by The San Francisco Examiner in 1965. The complication now is that society is fragmented and The Chronicle must establish its niche among the tech-savvy, youthful generation that really does not have much time, money or affection for old media. The Examiner is now a free paper, not exactly its former glorious self.

The real place that Vega and others must concentrate on is the Internet. If he wrote his series today, Steinbeck would have been called upon too add multimedia elements to his package on the migrants so as to allow it to run in both print and online editions.

Times have changed. The readers/viewers would probably rather peruse The Chronicle on an iPhone application than purchase it or subscribe in print, no matter how pretty the pages look or feel. In Silicon Valley, a gadget will always trump a newspaper as a status symbol. The chance of The Chronicle's success is so small that the first papers indeed may be snapped up as keepsakes of a bygone era but not as part of a regular habit.

Harold Evans, "Newspaper Junkie" (VIDEO)

2009-11-05T11:23:16Z

Sir Harold Evans, former king of old media -- he was the long-time editor of the UK's Sunday Times -- was on Good Morning America this morning to talk about his new book, My Paper Chase. The self-described "newspaper junkie" ("They haven't found a cure yet," he says) spoke about his famous coverage of the thalidomide disaster, how many papers he reads each day, and what it's like to get fired in your 50's.

You can read an excerpt from My Paper Chase at the Good Morning America website.

What do you think? How much longer will Evans be relevant in the media world?

WATCH:

Wall Street Journal San Francisco Edition Launching

2009-11-04T16:25:07Z

NEW YORK — The Wall Street Journal says its new San Francisco Bay Area edition will launch Thursday, with a weekly section devoted to local news.

It joins The New York Times in moving into big media markets that have seen local newspapers struggle amid an advertising and economic slump.

San Francisco Chronicle Going Glossy To Attract Readers, Ads

2009-11-04T16:25:06Z

SAN FRANCISCO — With its circulation falling faster than any other major U.S. newspaper's, the San Francisco Chronicle is determined to set the pace in a flashier way: It's about to become the first general-interest daily to print its editions on high-quality glossy paper.

The new look, scheduled to debut in Monday's newspaper, is part of the Chronicle's effort to create a more visually appealing newspaper as more readers turn to the Internet for free information and entertainment.

Toronto Star Offers Buyouts, Launches Massive Restructuring

2009-11-04T07:39:40Z

TORONTO — Canada's largest circulation daily has launched what its publisher said will likely be the biggest restructuring in the newspaper's history by offering voluntary buyouts to employees in all divisions of the company.

Toronto Star Publisher John Cruickshank said in a memo to employees Tuesday that the broad reworking of the company will affect every job in every corner of the organization and could include layoffs.

Read more: Canada, Newspapers, Toronto Star, Media News

Wall Street Journal Hiring Reporters To Cover New York

2009-11-03T17:43:31Z

The Wall Street Journal plans to assemble a local news staff in New York, continuing to expand beyond its historic focus on business news by adding traditional city desk beats like courthouses, City Hall and the state capital.

How The Star Ledger Gave Jon Corzine A Lifeline

2009-11-03T17:35:25Z

If New Jersey Gov. Jon Corzine wins a second term Tuesday, it will come in spite of a struggling economy and rising unemployment.

And, also, because of it.

Because when The (Newark) Star-Ledger, the state's largest newspaper, could no longer afford to keep one of its best reporters on his beat, it turned out the Corzine campaign could. And in doing so, it gained a secret weapon in what looked like a hopeless race.

The Onion : Our Front Pages Celebrates Years Of Hilarious Headlines

2009-11-03T15:17:35Z

Headlines in the satirical weekly newspaper The Onion tend to function both as punch line and setup, in that order. They are the heart of the paper, and not only the first thing anybody reads, but also, unlike headlines in real newspapers all over the world, the first things to be written.

Stu Courtney, Sun-Times Sports Editor, Leaving For Tribune Web Site

2009-11-03T14:31:41Z

Stu Courtney is leaving the Chicago Sun-Times, where he has run the sports department for more than seven years, to join the rival Chicago Tribune as editor of its recently launched Chicago Breaking Sports Web site.

Google Considered Buying New York Times: Auletta

2009-11-03T09:57:21Z

Google is a media company in terms of generating advertising revenues, not producing content. Is there any indication that Google could enter content production?

Auletta: Google co-founder Larry Page and CEO Eric Schmidt told me that they had discussed buying the New York Times, but in the end decided that if they succeeded it would sabotage their identity as a neutral search engine. The reason they are interested in preserving the New York Times is that Google's search engine depends on good information, and the Times is the world's best newspaper.